


Fallen Stars

by RavenFal



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! - All Media Types, Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's, Yu-Gi-Oh! GX
Genre: Action/Adventure, Canon Compliant, Fake Yu-Gi-Oh Cards, Humor, Implied past Yuusei/Aki, Loose Prquel to Zexal, M/M, OC villain - Freeform, Playing loose with the TCG rules, Post-Canon, Romance, anime card effects
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-24
Updated: 2020-04-24
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:53:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 23
Words: 40,191
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23825626
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RavenFal/pseuds/RavenFal
Summary: Months after the defeat of Z-ONE, Yusei starts having the same recurring dream: himself, trapped in a room with glass sculptures and the comatose body of Judai Yuki, his ally from the past. Are they real? What do they mean? And why does the disembodied voice begging him to save Judai also keep warning him that doing so could bring about the return of a great evil?
Relationships: Fudou Yuusei/Yuuki Juudai | Jaden Yuki, Yubel & Yuuki Juudai | Jaden Yuki
Comments: 8
Kudos: 68





	1. Recurring Dreams

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to [EntameWitchLulu](https://archiveofourown.org/users/EntameWitchLulu/pseuds/EntameWitchLulu) and their Starshipping Fic [An Hourglass of Stars](https://archiveofourown.org/works/9548489/chapters/21588323) for inspiring me to write this fic. Also, thanks to [Higuchimon](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Higuchimon/pseuds/Higuchimon) whose stream of fanfics and motivational writing posts on Tumblr helped me keep up the motivation to write. And finally, the biggest of thanks to [Alfhildr-the-Word-Weaver](https://alfhildr-the-word-weaver.tumblr.com/), who finally conviced to to post this fic, instead of letting it collect dust on my computer, as well as [Richard Nixon's Pet Walrus](https://richard-nixons-pet-walrus.tumblr.com/) for proof-reading this enormous thing.

Yusei was sure he'd been here before. The dimly lit hallway, the stone walls, the distant growls of large beasts, the striped cat who watched his every move; it was all so familiar. He moved forward, a small ball of yellow light guiding him.

“ _He needs your help, Yusei-kun_ ,” came a soft, almost cat-like voice emanating from the light. Again, familiar.

As they walked further into the room, the light reflected off glass faces adorning the walls. One depicted a young figure with a gemstone in their forehead; another depicted someone clad in a wicked, sharp helmet. The light stopped in front of some kind of stasis tank, in which the body of a young man floated. The man's clothes were unimpressive, but his hair was fairly distinct, almost like a Kuriboh. His eyes were closed as if in death-like sleep. Yusei knew he had seen him before, but where?

“Jo- no, that's not right,” Yusei mumbled, his eyes squinting at the figure as he tried to recall the man's name. “Jaden? No, it's,” his breath caught and his eyes widened as the right name, and all it brought with it, finally caught up to him. “Judai.”

Judai, the man whom he and the legendary Yugi Muto had teamed up with to defeat Paradox. The man who had found a way to smile even in the face of certain destruction. This was him, suspended like an alien in a bad sci-fi movie.

“ _He needs your help, Yusei-kun_ ,” the voice said again. “ _The world isn't in danger anymore, so you can help now, right_?”

Yusei remembered when he'd been here before. But before he could give a response, his alarm clock went off.

***

“So you've had this dream before?” Aki asked over the phone. Yusei wasn't sure how much help she'd be – she was studying medicine, not psychology – but he had to talk to someone.

“Yeah, the first time was during the fight against the Dark Signers. Back then I didn't even recognize the guy, and we were dealing with so much shit that I declined.” Yusei rubbed his brow, cell phone held between his shoulder and his ear as he worked on the _Yusei-Go_. “I had it again during the WRGP. I asked what I needed to do to help, but the voice just told me that I'd take a long time, and I shouldn't try until any 'major obligations' – I think that's how he put it – were complete. With all the stress from fighting Yliaster, not to mention everything that happened with Z-ONE and restructuring Neo Domino's government, I must have forgotten. What do you think it means?”

Aki's voice was half-concerned, half-contemplative. “Judai's the one you said helped you beat Paradox, right?” Yusei nodded, then answered in the affirmative when he remembered she couldn't see him. “I swear I've heard that name somewhere else.” He could feel her shaking her head. “Well, I'd say it sounds more like a vision than a dream. Maybe you should talk to Luka about it?”

“A vision, huh?” It wasn't really a question; he'd already thought of it himself. It just seemed so unlikely; Luka was the one who could talk to spirits, Aki was the psychic duelist, he, Jack, Crow and Lua were all the normal ones. As normal as Signers get, anyway. They didn't have visions. “But our marks are gone. Do you think the Crimson Dragon would have left if something supernatural were still going on?”

“Who knows? Maybe it isn't the end of the world this time. Maybe this Judai person is calling you because he knows you. Either way, it's getting late and I've got studying to do. Seriously, talk to Luka; she's had way more experience than the rest of us with this kind of stuff.”

Yusei sighed, setting his tools down and moving the phone to his hand. She was right, of course, but he was really hoping to keep as many people out of this as he could. They were all living their peaceful lives now, just calling Aki had left him feeling guilty enough. “Okay.”

“Hey, cheer up. I don't want you all down in the dumps when I come back for summer break in five weeks.”

He perked up at that. “Oh right, your first year's almost over. How's that going anyway?”

“Don't ask.” She suddenly sounded dead inside. “The professors here are even more brutal than in Japan. I barely passed last semester. Anyway, I've already called Jack and Crow, and the two of them said they'll be sure to be back in time for a reunion. We were thinking about having it a week after I get back.”

Reunion. It made him feel old, but in a good way. “Sounds great. Who's planning it? ”

“I am, of course. Just be sure to let Luka and Lua know when you go see them.”

“I will, I will,” he said.

“Anyway, I really have to get back to studying. Weekends aren't something I can afford to waste. I'll call you if I remember where I heard that name, all right?”

After they exchanged goodbyes, Yusei took a look at the time. 7 PM. Too late to make a trip to the Tops, but the twins would still be awake to answer a phone call.

“Yusei? What's up?” It was nice to hear her voice again. Friends though they may be, he only heard from the twins about twice a month now. Crow he heard from half as often, and he was lucky to get Jack to pick up at all.

“There's something I need to talk to you about. Are you free tomorrow?”


	2. The Spirit World

"Aki's right. I think you were in the Spirit World."

Luka looked anxious. Why shouldn't she be? The only times she'd been in the Spirit World, she was either in a coma or the world had been in danger. If the Spirit World had really come calling, there was a good chance it wasn't about anything good. Lua, however, just kept moving his head from his sister to Yusei and back again.

"But Yusei can't do that! That's your thing!" Lua turned to Yusei again, throwing up his hands in defense. "N-not that I'm saying that's not what's going on here isn't that! I just, ya' know, right?”

Right. Yusei had never displayed any unusual powers like Lua's ability to call between dimensions, or Luka's ability to move between them and talk to spirits. But what other explanation was there?

Luka started and looked to her left, almost like she heard something.

“Really?” she asked the air. Or rather, asked whatever spirit it was that Yusei couldn't see. “Okay, got it.” She turned back to Yusei. “Regulus says sometimes people don't develop powers right away. Sometimes, they need someone like me around to start seeing spirits. Maybe you're just a late bloomer?” That last sentence carried a hint of caution, like she was afraid of embarrassing her older friend.

Yusei shook his head. “I didn't even catch a whiff of that conversation, so probably not.”

“Oh, I know I know!” Lua was waving his hands around, not sure which of the other two he should be bragging to. “Yusei's like me! Us being around him let him talk to people in other dimensions.” In the end Lua gave him a thumbs up, looking quite proud of himself.

Yusei folded his hands together in thought. It was possible, but... “Even if that's true, it's only happening in my dreams. I can't control it.” His fingers began to tighten. “I just wish I knew what was going on. If I really am hearing voices from another dimension, if Judai is really in trouble, how am I supposed to help?”

Lua looked like a stranger had just popped his balloon. Luka looked similarly downcast before perking up and listening to the air again.

“Regulus has a plan,” she said with her most serious face on. “If the two of us stay here tonight, Regulus can watch you in your sleep. If you really are being called by some other voice, he might be able to follow it, and bring us along.”

“Awesome!” Happy Lua was back again. “A slumber party at Yusei's!”

Yusei relaxed his fingers. He wasn't one for trusting in things he couldn't see, but trusted his friends. If Luka thought it would work, it was worth a shot.

***

“ _Yusei-kun_.” The voice sounded distant, and all he could see around him was darkness. “ _I can't bring you all this far, Yusei-kun. I'm sorry._ ”

Yusei opened his eyes to find himself on the edge of some dark forest. A bland fortress loomed further ahead, piercing the dark sky. Was that where he was supposed to go? Where the odd room that held Judai's body was? Wait. He was forgetting something.

Luka! Where was-

“ _Here._ ” Another odd voice. From behind him. Noble, yet beast-like. Almost like a lion's … ah. Regulus was there; Luka and Lua were just beginning to stir beside him. Yusei breathed a sigh of relief as the two stood up and looked around.

“So, I'm guessing this is the spirit world?” Yusei asked.

Luka looked as lost as he felt. Not a good sign. “I'm not sure. This doesn't look like it.”

“ _There are many spirit worlds_ ,” Regulus said. Yusei felt he should be more surprised at seeing a talking lion with a unicorn's horn. The idea that he was getting used to this kind of stuff was unsettling. “ _We are far from the forests I guard alongside Ancient Fairy Dragon, but this is definitely another world. Look._ ” Yusei turned back towards the fortress, and saw a group of armored warriors heading towards it, like something out of a fantasy movie.

“Cool!” Lua shouted. “Let's go meet them!” Before Lua could get further than two steps, Regulus picked him up by his shirt, like cat with its prey. “Hey, what gives?”

“ _That is the Exiled Force. We would do better to keep our distance and see what happens._ ”

And so they did. They saw two figures emerge from an encampment near the fortress. It was hard to see from the distance, but Yusei could tell they were trying to convince the band to turn around. Within two minutes the pair looked to have given up, and the band moved into the fortress without incident.

“ _It would seem the way is not barred. Still, it would be wise for us to hear what those other two have to say._ ”

Yusei was inclined to agree. He was already out of his element, he wasn't about to enter a dungeon blind.

As they drew closer, they saw the two figures to be a man and a woman. An average-height man with hair slicked back to a point wearing something like a yellow lab coat and a large warrior-woman to be precise.

“– stupid idiotic morons,” the woman was saying. “They deserve their fate.”

“Um, excuse me?” Luka asked before Yusei could stop her. The two in front of them wheeled around at the sound of her voice; the warrior-woman looked ready to kill someone. The twins jumped back in fright, while Yusei and Regulus moved between them and the pair. Yusei wasn't sure how fighting worked in this world, but he was pretty sure he could at least take the man if they came to blows.

They didn't. After blinking twice and giving the group a once over, the pair relaxed. The man even breathed a sigh of relief. “Honestly Tania,” he said, shaking his head in mock chastisement, “aren't your Amazoness skills supposed to tell you when someone tries to sneak up on us?”

A punch to the shoulder put him in his place, accompanied by a “Stop whining and take you're lumps like a man,” when he started to complain. “Ignore my husband. He's smart not funny.” Another once-over, and she nodded. “You must be Fudo Yusei, correct?”

That was not what he was expecting to here. Taken aback as he was, all he managed was a nod.

“I see you're a warrior. The way you carry yourself speaks of your battles. Those children too. Come to our camp. We should talk.”

Again, all Yusei could do was nod. He could have sworn he heard Regulus mutter something about “tiger spirit,” but otherwise the short walk was silent. Lua was too busy staring at the couple with saucer-eyes, and Luka kept looking around like something was just waiting to pounce out and scare them. He couldn't blame her.

“Welcome to our temporary abode,” the man said when arrived. It far more high-tech than Yusei would have thought given the fantastical look of the land around them. Several computer monitors dotted the tents, displaying formulas and simulations that he couldn't begin to guess the meaning of. “Introductions are in order. I'm Misawa Daichi, and this is my wife.”

“Tania.” She sounded like she wanted to punch something. “Last of the Amazons.”

“Well, you already seem to know me,” Yusei replied. “These two are Lua and Luka. The lion is called Regulus.”

Misawa hummed to himself for a moment. “There's no reason to be nervous, Fudo-san. And to be fair, I only knew it was you because no one outside earth wears pajama pants and a tank top.” Yusei gave himself a quick once-over, suddenly very self-conscious about attire. “I don't know anything more than your name and the fact that you once helped Judai defeat Paradox.”

Another revelation Yusei hadn't been expecting.

***

The stone walls were unworldly smooth, as if the fortress and all been carved from a single stone. The beasts they passed paid them no mind; the green marks on their clothes (or armor, in Regulus' case) glowing whenever they got close. “The mark of Amnael will let the guardian beasts know you're supposed to be here,” Misawa had told them. Yusei tried his best to distract the twins whenever he noticed pieces of the Exiled Force's armor strewn about near the beasts, and was glad to see Regulus did as well. They were putting on a brave face, but it was obvious the twins were one jump-scare away from running all the way back to Earth.

Misawa Daichi, a once-human who spent the past twenty-five years living in the spirit world, married to an Amazon Tiger spirit, who had transformed into a spirit himself after a decade of living here. On top of that, he went to Duel Academy with Judai, back when the main academy was still located on a volcanic island. Yusei had never given much thought to the kind of adventures Judai had had in his era, but he was sure he'd never have guessed anything that odd.

They came to set of staircases, one going up, the other down. “Make sure you go up,” Misawa had said. “The creatures in the dungeons won't let you pass even if you have those marks.”

They found another stone hall at the top of the staircase. Along the others, this one was bare save for the torches that lined the walls, and a figure that stood at the hall's end. As they walked forward, Lua tightened his grip on Luka's hand; Luka tightened her grip on Regulus' mane. Yusei even found himself swallowing before pressing on.

“ _Ah, hello Yusei-kun. I'm glad you and your friends made it here safe_ ,” the figure said as they drew close. He was dressed in gray-and-black robes; red scarves fell from his neck; a black duel-disk from the Genex Tournament era adorned his left arm. His face was obscured by a hood and mask, but the voice was the same as the one from Yusei's dreams. “ _I was worried I wouldn't bring you close enough to find this place. I'm not powerful enough to bring more than one person beyond this point, you see_.”

As innocent as the voice sounded, Yusei could tell that this was someone who could give them more than their fair share of trouble. He glanced back at the twins, then at Regulus. Sure enough, the lion seemed ready to attack at the first sign of trouble, though he'd probably leave Yusei high and dry if it meant saving the twins. The thought actually filled Yusei with comfort.

“Why did you bring us here?” he asked. “What's wrong with Judai, and how am I supposed to help? I'm not even a signer anymore.” He bore his right forearm in proof.

“ _Ah, I suppose you wouldn't recognize me._ ” The figure slumped to the floor, and the small ball of yellow light rose from his body, then took the form of a man in his mid-thirties with large black hair, glasses, and a rather kind face. “ _Do you remember me now, Yusei-kun_?”

“Ghost!” Lua screamed. Yusei turned behind him to see Lua on the ground, face pale, and eyes wide. Luka was holding onto Regulus with both hands now.

After a brief laugh, Daitokuji introduced himself. “ _Don't worry. I'm the friendly kind of ghost, not the mean kind. Isn't that right, Yusei-kun?_ ”

Yusei let out a long breath, cracked a small smile, and went over to help Lua up. “It's okay Lua. He's one of Judai's friends. He's a good guy.”

“Really?” Lua took Yusei's hand, stood up, and looked between him and Daitokuji for a moment. Then his face lit up, and ran towards the ghost. “That's so cool! Hey mister, what's it like being a ghost? Can you walk through walls? Can you fly? Do scare people at night?”

“ _Now calm down, calm down,_ ” Yusei could almost see the sweat drop forming on Daitokuji's face. “ _I'm happy you're eager to learn, but I really just spend most of my time inside my cat._ ”

“Ah, man. I thought you'd be cooler.”

Luka smacked her brother on the head. “Don't be rude Lua, we're guests here.” Yusei sighed a small laugh. At least the tension was gone.

“ _Anyway_ ,” Daitokuji said as he move his hand toward the wall behind him, which glowed with the same mark that they had on their clothes, and then opened wide enough for a single person to walk through. “ _Perhaps I should move on to answering_ your _questions, Yusei-kun_.”


	3. A Shattered Mind

They were in the room from his dream now. Judai lay suspended before them, and the striped cat Yusei now recognized as Pharaoh watched them, its tail lazily flicking back and forth. The glass faces also seemed to watch from the walls; Yusei realized that most of the faces were carved in Judai's likeness.

_“Twenty years ago, Judai-kun was investigating a certain cult, you see_ ,” Daitokuji explained. “ _Have you ever heard of Yliaster?_ ” Yusei felt like he should have been more surprised. The twins certainly were.

“But we beat them!” Lua.

“Dummy, this happened in the past.” Luka.

“But-but weren't _we_ their enemies?”

“ _Oh, you defeated their leaders? That's good to hear_. _If Celoso was any indication, it must have been a fierce battle._ ”

“Celoso?” Yusei asked.

“ _The Yliaster agent we were tracking. He had the power to see spirits and project himself into the spirit world, just like Judai. And you, little miss. Quite impressive, really, for you to be able to do so at such a young age._ ” Luka blushed at praise. “ _He was a man from Peru, as we understood, operating under the code name 'Noche Celoso' – Zealous Night. He had traveled to the furthest edge of the known dimensions, perhaps even beyond those edges, and was making his way back to Yliaster when we intercepted him in this world._ ” Daitokuji's smile dropped. “ _He had found a new, or perhaps merely_ forgotten _, summoning method. XYZ, he called it – the final form Duel Monsters would take. He challenged Judai to match in which the loser's mind would be trapped in a crystal ball. When it became obvious that he was going to lose, he shattered it, breaking both their minds in the process._

_“I brought them both here, and with Misawa-kun's help, we created stasis chambers to preserve their bodies. I was afraid killing one meant killing the other, you see. Celoso is trapped in the dungeon below us, guarded by beasts who won't let anyone, even those bearing my mark, pass without battle._ ”

That was a lot to take in. They'd played shadow duels against the Dark Signers, sure, but in those it was just lose-and-you-die. Nothing as unnecessarily complicated as sealing someone's mind in a crystal ball.

“That still doesn't explain why we're here,” Yusei said, “Or how I'm supposed to help.”

“ _I constructed the faces you see on the walls from the remnants of the crystal ball. With a touch of my own alchemy, of course. Each face represents formative moments in Judai-kun's life. And Yubel's – their mind was shattered as well. A consequence of sharing a soul, I should say. I need you to enter them, one by one, and then carry those memories with you. Once you've witnessed them all, you can enter Judai-kun's mindscape, where you'll be able to return those memories to him. Of course, there are risks._ ”

“But why Yusei?” Luka asked before he could. “Why can't you do it? Or one of Judai-san's other friends?”

“Yeah, why does Yusei have to be the one to stick his neck out?” Lua. “Not that he couldn't do it, but why him?”

A grunt came from Regulus, which Yusei assumed meant he echoed their feelings.

A sad smile fell across Daitokuji's face. “ _It has to be someone Judai-kun knows, or his mind will reject them. I did inform his friends about what happened, of course, but there is too much shared trauma between them. Experiencing Judai-kun's memories would force them to relive that trauma, and the consequences could be dire. Judai-kun is not the kind of man who would be happy if his friends sacrificed themselves for him. As for me, I'm afraid I'm too much of a coward._ ”

Yusei's eyes narrowed. “Those risks you mentioned.” What risks could be worth leaving your own friend in a coma for decades?

Daitokuji gave a small nod. “ _As above, so below. As below, so above. If Judai's mind is restored, it's quite possible Celoso's will be as well. I would hope the Helios monsters I have guarding his dungeon would be enough to stop him, but I lack the will to bet so much on hope. And there is another._ ” He looked directly at Yusei; they'd be making eye-contact if the spirit actually opened his eyes. “ _Do you understand what it will mean to see those moments? To understand what makes him who he is so completely? So_ intimately _? It is not something I am prepared to do._ ” He lifted his gaze back to Judai's floating body. “ _You are free to decline, of course. It would certainly be the safer option; there's no telling what might happen if Celoso makes it back to Earth with his XYZ monsters._ ”

Did that matter? Even if they hadn't known each other for long, Judai was still a friend. Yusei knew he'd say yes without hesitation if any member of Team 5D's was in there, or even Ushio, Carly or Mikage. But before he could say anything, Daitokuji turned back to him, his hand raised. “ _There's no need to jump into this without thinking. In one week's time, I will call you back here to hear your answer._ ” His voice began to grow distant, and their surroundings began fading to black. “ _Until then, Yusei-kun, safe travels._ ”

Yusei's eyes shot open, and he took stock of his surroundings. He was back in his apartment at Poppo time; Lua and Luka were just waking up from their spot on the floor. Thank goodness. He breathed out his relief, then checked the clock on his wall. Just perfect: 3 AM. How were any of them supposed to get back to sleep?


	4. Decisions

Twenty years. Twenty years ago, Judai fought against Yliaster, and ended up having his mind shattered. Two years later and Zero Reverse happened. If Judai had been around then, if he had the chance to stop Yliaster, would he have won? Yusei wanted to think so.

Similar thoughts had been running through his head all day. He had sent the twins home once the sun was firmly in the sky, had tried to focus by working on the _Yusei-Go_ , but he could only find bolts to tighten and parts to switch for so long before he had to eat. So here he was, dinner half-eaten, going through questions that wouldn't be an issue if Daitokuji had just let him jump in.

If saving Judai meant saving Celoso, that meant bringing back Yliaster. But Judai would have beaten Celoso before, right? Wouldn't he do so again? Especially with team 5D's to help?

No. It wasn't fair to bring his friends back into this. Their fight was over. Didn't he owe it to them to keep it that way?

But Judai was his friend too. Someone who helped him save all of history from becoming undone. Didn't he deserve Yusei's help?

But then there was the other risk. Was Daitokuji saying that he'd fall in love with Judai if he did this? Or at least, that it was strong possibility? Bisexual though he might be, Yusei was pretty sure that was something that was supposed to happen naturally, after you get to know someone.

But what better way was there to get to know someone than by reliving their memories?

And, of course, he knew none of this would have mattered if it was Jack or Crow or Aki or the twins or any of his other friends. For them, it would be worth the risk, and he'd deal with the fallout after the fact. Shouldn't that extend to Judai too?

His dinner was cold. He checked the clock: 8 PM. Early, especially given the time of year, but he hadn't fallen back asleep last night. Plus, he had work at the lab tomorrow. Fortune wasn't going to monitor itself.

***

_Call me when you get this._

That's what Aki's text read. He got it just before 8 PM the following day, and a long day it had been. Synchro Summoning was still being phased out of Duel Monsters; the threat it posed to Momentum was great enough that even Fortune might not be able to stop its effects. Until then, Yusei was needed to make sure Fortune didn't become corrupted, in addition to furthering research into planetary particles in the hopes of creating a version of Momentum that wouldn't need Fortune to keep in under control, one that would allow Duel Monsters to be played to its fullest. With all the constant back-and-forth in his head about Judai, he'd had a far less productive day than usual.

8 PM. That meant it was about noon in Germany. “Shouldn't you be in class right now?” he asked once she picked up.

“I've got lunch right now, but that's not important,” she certainly sounded like she was in a rush. “I remembered where I heard that name before. You remember I went to Duel Academy, right?”

“Yes.”

“Well one of my teachers taught a class on the origins of Duel Monsters and its supernatural aspects. Her name was Tenjoin-sensei. Tenjoin Asuka. She was actually there during the Three Phantasms crisis, and the time the original Duel Academy was pulled into another dimension. While she was teaching us-”

Yusei had stopped listening; a thought had jumped into his head. Misawa said that he was Judai's old classmate; was this Asuka another one?

“Were they classmates?” he interrupted, “Asuka-sensei and Judai?”

“I literally just said that,” came his reply. “Were you even listening to me?”

“Sorry. It's just that I met another one of his classmates in the spirit world. You were right, by the way. Luka was a big help. Anyway, do you know how I can contact Asuka-sensei?”

“As far as I know, she still works at Duel Academy.” Aki sounded more than a little peeved. “Just go there when school lets out at four.”

“Got it. Thank you, Aki.”

“Hey, what are friends for?”

***

“This is a nice coffee shop.” Asuka was seated across from him at Cafe la Geen two days after Aki had called. She had to be in her early forties, but she looked thirty-seven at the most. Yusei wondered if all of Judai's friends aged as gracefully as the two he had met.

“Jack always seemed to like it. I wasn't sure where else would be a good place to meet.” Yusei stared at his coffee. Expensive, but it probably made a good impression.

“Judai told us about you, you know.” Yusei looked up at that. “When he brought the Cyber End and Rainbow Dragons back and told us about Paradox. He said your determination to was almost inspiring.” Yusei felt his cheeks heat up ever so slightly. He hoped it wasn't visible. “It hasn't been easy you know,” now she was the one staring into their cup, “living our lives while our friend is stuck in a supernatural coma. It's just,” her hand went to her mouth for a moment, “some things you just can't relive. But you didn't come here to listen to my excuses.” She looked at him again, and waited.

Yusei wasn't sure what he was supposed to ask. Of course she'd say that Judai was worth saving. And he already knew Judai was a duelist strong enough to save the world. Strong enough to control spirits even, if he remembered correctly. What about that smiling young man could possibly shift his mind one way or the other?

Wait. He had something.

“When we fought against Paradox, Judai was able to smile even when things looked their darkest. That smile was inspiring; it was a constant reminder that hope was never beyond reach.” Yusei couldn't help the smile that spread across his own face as he remembered. “Was – was he always like that?”

Asuka smiled at him. A happy, nostalgic smile as her past began playing behind her eyes as well. “Yeah. At least, that was the way it started. Judai was always so focused on having fun, on having a good time with us, that it was contagious. The more time we spent around him, the more each of us simply wanted to play the game for the fun of it. Not for titles or glory, but for the sheer love of the game. Even Manjoume found himself more like that as the years went by.”

Yusei perked up again. Manjoume? One of the top contenders for “king” in the Platinum League? Questions for another time. He didn't want to miss anything Asuka said.

“Some bad things happened. Those bad memories I talked about. He lost it for a while, but he found it again in the end. His smile just, made the world a brighter place, you know?”

Yusei nodded.

“I'm not sure there's anything else I can tell you that you won't find out on your own.” She stood up from the table, and Yusei scrambled to do the same. “But thank you. No matter what you chose, I'm just glad I got to remember him like this again.”

“I'm the one who should be saying thank you, Tenjoin-sensei,” he said with a bow.

Asuka chuckled, waving her hand in front of her face. “There's no need to be so formal, Yusei-kun. It's not like I'm _your_ teacher. Just think of me as a friend of a friend. And say high to Aki-san for me when you get a chance. I hear she's doing quite well for herself in Germany.”

“She is. Thank you again, Asuka.” He meant it. He had only seen that smile for a few brief hours, but it had been enough to captivate him then. If not for this talk with Asuka, he might have gotten so caught up in his inner debate that he wouldn't have remembered it. And if Asuka was anything to go by, Judai's smile could inspire anyone.

 _It's really not even a question anymore_ , Yusei though on his drive home. The world need smiles like that. Or at the very least, he knew that _he_ wouldn't mind seeing that smile every day.

***

“ _Have you made up your mind, Yusei-kun?_ ”

One week, just like Daitokuji said, had seen his dreams lead him back to the room. Back to Judai.

“I'll do it.” He said, a smile painted across his face. “And I get the feeling he'd do the same for me.”

Daitokuji just smiled and nodded.


	5. Dreams of Days Past

“ _This will take multiple nights_ ,” Daitokuji had said. “ _Each night you'll 'enter' one the glass faces you see on the walls. In order, mind you. The memories you see will experience will be almost like a lucid dream. You'll be able to interact with the memories, even ask them what they mean to Judai-kun. However, you won't be able to change what happens. You stop Judai-kun from losing a duel or making an obvious mistake. You are there to observe and understand him._ ”

And so Yusei found himself entering the young face with what looked like a gemstone set in its forehead. The figure was fairly androgynous, and meeting them in the memory proved less than helpful. Still, the blue-haired youth was more than willing to introduce themself when asked.

“I'm Yubel, silly.” Nope the voice didn't give the answer away either. “We're way in the past, you see. Before I became a duel spirit. Back during Judai's past life.”

Judai remembered his own past life? Yubel used to human? Every time Yusei learned something new about him it seemed like something out of a fantasy story. Then again, who was he to judge?

“This was where we met you see,” child-Yubel said. This memory apparently began on a beach, with guards patrolling the edge, and a small procession making their way towards over to the shore where Yusei stood and Yubel played in the sand. As they got closer, Yusei noticed a familiar set of brown hair among the crowd. Judai's past life, also a child, walked alongside a man who looked to be of high import. In fact, he might have been a king.

“This is the first time we met,” Judai's past life told him. “Did Yubel tell you that?” Yusei just nodded. Then, like he didn't notice him, the man introduced Yubel to Judai, and told him that from now on Yubel would be his personal playmate. Apparently, the nobles to whom Yubel had been born had recently died, and the King, Judai's past-life's father, had decided to take the youth in.

And even after all that, Yusei still couldn't figure out whether Yubel had been a boy or a girl.

***

“Your young, beautiful body will be turned into that of a dragon, far too ugly to glance at.”

Those were the king's final words to Yubel. At least, the final words Yusei heard that night. Just before the operation began, he found himself pulled back to the room where Judai lay floating in his chamber. Now, however, the memories he had witnessed were reflected in the glass face of the human Yubel.

It was disorienting to say the least, being pulled from those memories back into the real world. Well, the spirit world. Was there a difference?

Yusei turned in place for a few minutes, getting his bearings and reminding himself when he was. Wait. He might not have seen _everything_ that had happened, but surely he'd just seen months’ worth of memories right? Had he-

“ _It's only been seven hours, Yusei-kun._ ” Daitokuji interrupted his thoughts. Yusei felt his jaw drop, and Daitokuji answered his question before he even had a chance to ask it. “ _Dreams are an amazing thing. Withing them, the human mind simulates days, even weeks of life in mere minutes. It's why I brought you here through your dreams, Yusei-kun. If you were to experience these memories in real-time, you'd be an old man before you were done. Now then, it's time I send you back, so that you may return to your day-to-day life. I'll call for you again tomorrow night._ ” And before Yusei had a chance to say anything, he found himself waking up two minutes before his alarm went off.

He spent the day processing what he had seen. His heart broke for Yubel, if only because he knew he'd make that same choice if it meant keeping his friends safe. His heart broke for Judai, because he knew he'd never accept it if his friends tried to do the same thing. He couldn't even bring himself to work on his D-wheel. He just sat alone on his couch, and remembered Judai's memories.

***

The next night he witnessed Judai barge into Yubel's operation, witnessed the declaration of love they shared with each other. He watched Judai's past self grow cold and distant from his people. Watched him age even as Yubel killed any who caused him even the smallest distress. Yusei watched him die peacefully in his sleep as Yubel moved onto the Spirit world to await his reincarnation. Watched as Yubel found their way to a young Judai in the form of a card.

The following night he moved between Yubel's and Judai's memories rather fluidly then. One minute he was with Yubel, witnessing them send any who made Judai sad into a coma in a misguided expression of love. The next he would be with Judai, seeing his friends suffer for no reason, with only the vague notion that it was somehow Yubel's fault.

He saw Judai enter the card competition held by Kaiba-Corp, saw the kind of joy only a ten-year-old can have thrown across his face when he won. Saw Judai abandon the one he had once loved to the stars in a misguided attempt the save them.

Yusei didn't think he could have done it. If his friends turned on each other, he knew he'd die before he stopped trying to bring them back together. But Judai had been a child listening to his parents, doing what he thought was best. Yusei couldn't blame him for that.

He tried to look away when Judai's memories of Yubel were ripped from him by machines in a hospital, in a foolish attempt to keep him safe. But he couldn't.

It was showing in his work life. He came to the lab still processing all he'd seen the previous night. Not to mention how tired he began to feel. Sleep though they may be, the dreams were taking their toll. The body was built to spend most of the night in deep sleep; dreams typically took up an hour at most.

Jaeger assumed he was working himself too hard. “You've been at this almost non-stop since the ARC Cradle,” he said. “No sick days, no vacations. Even ignoring the fact that you've saved the world twice, your work ethic alone has earned you some time off.” He dropped his governor-persona and began looking at Yusei like an old friend. “Team 5D's has their reunion in about three weeks, right? I think I'll give you the rest of the month off.” He raised his hand before Yusei had a chance to retort, “Synchro summoning has been almost entirely removed from Duel Monsters by this point, and you've trained your team at the Lab well. We can trust them to keep Fortune and Momentum running properly for a few weeks.” He turned his chair to pick up a small stack of papers from his desk. “I'll be sure Ushio and Mikage get that same week off,” he returned to his governor voice, and began shooing at Yusei with his left hand. “Now I won't hear another word about it. Go and get some rest. You need it.”

***

“ _You can always take a night off if you want, Yusei-kun. Judai's waited twenty years for you to save him. An extra week or two won't hurt._ ”

Yusei wouldn't hear it. He was already being forced to take a break from the lab; he wasn't about to start taking a break from saving his friends too. Besides, he got the feeling Judai wouldn't take a break were their places reversed.

“ _I'm afraid you'll soon see just how dangerous that mentality can be_.”

Moments later Yusei bore witness to Judai receiving his Winged Kuriboh card from Yugi Muto himself.


	6. His Smile

Apparently, Duel Academy had a tradition of professors with Ancient Gear Golems tormenting their students. Yusei watched as Judai fell for scheme after scheme set by Instructor Chronos. Still, he smiled through each and every one of them, from their first duel to his rematch with Manjoume, from finding the duel giant to facing Motegi. Nothing Chronos threw at him could hurt that smile.

He saw Manjoume leave Duel Academy, and saw his return as “Manjoume Thunder.” He saw the third duel between Judai and Manjoume, watched as they threw everything they had at each other. The determination in their eyes, the acknowledgment of the other as a rival, the understanding that this wouldn't be the end; Yusei understood what it must feel like to watch him and Jack duel.

Yusei watched as Judai faced down the Seven Stars. He watched his smile fade in the fires of Darkness's Shadow Game, how Chronos and Kaiser had their souls trapped by the vampire's treachery. He felt the relief that showed Judai's smile returning with Camula's defeat. He saw how it pierced the darkness within Tania and Abidos III.

“It's just the way Duel Monsters works out, ya know?” the memory-Judai told him. “When two people duel, they can't hide their true selves from each other. And more often than not, you end up seeing someone you like on the other side of the field.” Yusei knew it well enough. He'd experienced the same feelings when dueling Aki and Kiryu. Even Z-ONE had ended up saving his life after their duel.

He bore witness to Daitokuji's betrayal Judai's fight against Three Phantasms, battles that felt uncomfortably close to his own battles against Kiryu and the Earthbound Immortals. And even after seeing his mentor crumble to dust before his eyes, even after being brought to the brink of death by Kagemaru's ambition, Judai still found the strength to smile. It was a smile strong enough to forgive his enemies, strong enough to redeem them.

It was a smile he couldn't help but tell his friends about.

Yusei spent a good portion of his waking hours telling his friends about Judai. What else was he supposed to do? Jaeger had forced him to take time off, he could only work on his D-Wheel for so long before he started doing more harm than good, and after his first attempts to seek out opponents in the duel lanes were met with people giving the WRPG champion a wide berth, all that was left was cleaning or putting on the TV. Yusei wasn't the kind of guy to laugh at sitcoms or watch the news for fun.

He usually talked to the twins. He didn't call them; the time it took to ride from his apartment to theirs helped burn the extra daylight. He told them about how _the_ Manjoume Thunder, with almost forty straight wins in the Platinum League, was Judai's personal rival. He told them about how Judai and his friends stood against the Seven Stars. In later days, he would also tell them about how Judai single-highhandedly saved his friends from the Society of Light, and how Judai even defeated Pro-League all-star Edo Phoenix.

Lua's response was usually something like, “Judai-san is so cool! I mean, not as cool as Yusei or Jack or Aki-nee, but pretty close!” Luka was more interested in hearing about his relations to duel spirits and his duels against Grave Keeper's Chief and Kaibaman. From what Yusei could gather when she talked to the air around her, her spirit friends seemed impressed. In fact, as the weeks passed, Yusei thought he could almost hear what the spirits were telling her.

Jack never seemed to answer his phone. The one time Yusei talked to him was when Jack called _him_ , and even then Jack just wished him well and promised to make it to the reunion. Yusei hand barely even mentioned Judai when Jack said, “Well I'm sure you'll handle it,” and hung-up. Same old Jack.

Crow he only got to talk to twice. The first time, Yusei tried summarizing how incredible Judai was in his fights against the Three Phantasms and the Society of Light. He did his best to summarize how amazing it was that Judai had been able to smile through those troubled times. It took him an hour to do so. Their second conversation was just as brief as the one with Jack had been.

Calling Aki had a 50/50 chance of working out, given the time difference and how busy she was with school. It helped that she already knew the basics; at least one of Asuka's courses covered these same events. It just gave him more room to talk about Judai himself.

“He's got the only smile that's brighter than yours,” Yusei told her one night.

“I see.” Aki sounded almost … sad? No, resigned. “I suppose that's because he didn't someone else put it there.” Yusei didn't let the pause that followed linger.

“Now don't go selling yourself short. His smile might be brighter, but yours is still beautiful. Don't let anyone make you think differently.”

“Yusei …” She sounded hesitant. “Do you think … would anything have happened between us? If I had stayed?”

That was not something Yusei had been prepared to answer. The silence that followed dragged on longer than he wanted, but he needed to make sure he said the right thing.

“Maybe,” he decided on, “but who knows? Even if something did happen, it might not have worked out. Or maybe it would have.” He shook his head. He was saying the wrong things; he was sure. “But we don't know. I'm just glad I didn't stand in the way of your dreams. I love you. I love all my friends, and I would've hated myself if I had stood in the way of any of your future.”

“I know,” Aki said. Now she sounded sad, but that nostalgic kind of sad that ends up bringing a smile to your face. “I'm glad I came here. I don't regret it. And I know there's no way you could handle a long-distance relationship. You're too protective for that.”

He was? If he and Aki had become a couple what would he have done? He'd be calling her every day just to make sure she wasn't overdoing things. Or underdoing them. He'd be so busy checking up on her that he'd probably end up being more of a distraction than a help. Did that count as protective?

“I guess you're right,” he said.

“I know I'm right,” she said. “Now I've got homework to get to, and you need to get to sleep. Judai isn't going to save himself.”

She was right about that. Yusei was the only one who could save him now. And he would. He'd bring that smile back into the world. He wanted to give his friends the chance to see it. He wanted to see it again, for real. Seeing Judai smile in memories was one thing, but he wanted to see Judai smile for _him_ again, like he had when they met.

So he kept going. He wouldn't slow down; every night brought him closer and closer to seeing Judai again. Daitokuji was worrying over nothing. He'd seen the tragedy that was Judai's past life and early childhood. He'd witnessed the Phantasms and the Society of Light. He'd seen all that, and been fine. What else was there? What could possibly take Judai's smile away?

He was already shirking his duties at the lab. There was no way he'd “take a break” from this too.


	7. Kokoro no Yami

“So, what did you need to talk about?” Asuka asked.

Yusei had taken a break. Here he was, sitting with one of Judai's old friend sipping tea when he should be bringing the man out of his twenty-year coma. But he had to take a break, had to ground himself in the now, in what _was_ , before he went back. Daitokuji had been right; he had seen what might happen if he kept pushing himself to save someone without rest or time to think.

“I think I've reached those memories that kept you from saving him,” Yusei said to his tea.

Asuka stopped her cup halfway to her mouth, and lowered it to the table. “The Dark World.”

Yusei nodded. It was so horribly different from the other memories he'd experienced. Yusei had seen how Camula and Daitokuji had taken the souls of Judai's friends. He had seen Manjoume, Asuka and Misawa brainwashed into betraying their friends. More than that, he had seen Judai fight tooth and nail to save them each and every time. He'd watched Judai stare down the Three Phantasms and the Light of Destruction for no other reason but that he wanted to keep his friends safe. And he smiled through it all.

But not now. Yusei had seen how Judai's drive to help his friends had been turned against him. He'd seen that smile die.

***

_Two Nights Earlier_

It was, perhaps, the one thing too frightening for Yusei to ever think of happening to him. And he watched Judai suffer through it. Watched Judai's smile die, a fake one taking its place as he set out to rescue Johan. Then he watched the fake smile die, as Judai watched his friends die. He watched as the only ones left abandoned him. All Judai had wanted was to fix his mistake.

And so Yusei found himself holding the fallen boy in Brron's arena.

“They come back,” Yusei said. “I've met Asuka, she's still alive in my time. They come back.”

“They do.” The memory's voice was cold; all the passion that had driven Judai was burned out. “But I don't know that now. All I know is that trying to do the right thing failed. Being a hero failed. I failed. And so I took the only road left.” The memory turned to look at Yusei then, and Yusei couldn't stop the tears welling in his eyes at how dead Judai's looked. “Things got far worse before they got better.”

And the memories moved forward again. Yusei saw Judai reach for the Super Polymerization card, saw him succumb to the darkness of his heart. Yusei watched him gather the remnants of Brron's army, build it back up and elevate the five strongest monsters he found to be his generals. Yusei watched as Judai burned villages, killed innocents, sent prisoners off to concentration camps, turned duelists into sacrifices for the sake of that wretched card.

Yusei watched Judai's friends launch all-or-nothing assaults on his castle to save him. He watched Jim and O'Brien sacrifice themselves to bring return the kind, smiling Judai to the world.

Yusei couldn't bring himself to reenter Judai's memories the following night.

***

“I just ...” Yusei mumbled. “How? How did Judai ever find his smile again?” He shook his head; the tears were coming back. “I mean, you obviously came back. I assume the others did too. But I don't think I'd ever be able to smile again if that happened to me. Hell,” and now the tears were falling freely, some splashing into his teacup ever so faintly, “I don't think I could live with myself if that happened to me. I wouldn't survive.”

Yusei felt Asuka's hand on his shoulder, but he didn't look up until she told him to. Her voice was calm and measured – the voice of an experienced teacher who had dealt with every emotion her students had brought to class. “If it helps, we weren't really dead. It was more like we were trapped in Limbo.” She dropped her hand, fell back into her chair and let out a tired sigh. “Judai didn't know, of course. It took a long time for his smile to come back. But it did. Let that be the lesson, Yusei. Even when things are at their darkest, even when you feel that you've lost everything, you can reach the light as long as you never give up. As long as you keep moving forward, you'll find a way to save everyone.”


	8. Kokoro no Ai

It took Yusei another night before he found the courage to go back. Daitokuji had no words for him, and simply beckoned back to the glass helm of the Supreme King, horrible memories reflected on two-thirds of its surface. Yusei watched Judai's friends continue to dwindle even as the same Yubel with whom Judai once chased along a beach in childish games forced him to fight his own best friend.

And then Yusei was crying again. He was crying because Judai had done it. He used the very card that had taken wrought so much evil and found a way to use it for good. Somehow, he found the way to save _everyone_ , even Yubel. And Yusei loved him for it.

He saw the birth of the new Judai, the who fought with him against Paradox. He watched this new Judai return to Duel Academy bearing two lives' worth of guilt.

“I was foolish,” the memory told Yusei. He was fishing on the rocks by the Slifer Red Dorm. “I blamed myself for everything that happened, so I tried distancing myself from my friends. Out of everything, I think that's my biggest regret.” Yusei simply nodded.

He watched Manjoume make a name for himself by beating Edo. He watched Shou take his brother's place as Kaiser and heir to the Cyber Style. He watched Asuka attempt to bring him back into the fold and stumble over a love confession. And the best Judai could manage was the sad smile of a lonely man.

He watched Judai save everyone again. It didn't matter that Honest had tried to kill him, or that Fujiwara had sent Fubuki to the world of Darkness. Judai saved them. It didn't matter that Yubel was ripped from his soul and forced to fight him, Judai saved them. It didn't matter that everyone on the face of the earth was taken prisoner by the darkness of their hearts, Judai saved them.

He watched Winged Kuriboh whisk Judai into the past. He watched him duel not only against Yugi Muto, but the nameless Pharaoh as well. He watched Neos and Dark Magician take each other out, watched Judai skillfully avoid losing to magical cylinder. He watched Judai push the _King of Games_ to the brink, only to see the king of games summon the very god card whose colors Judai still wore. And then he saw Judai's smile come back. The real one, so full of life and love that Yusei felt tears in his eyes again even as he watched Neos take flight to battle Slifer. _This_ was the Judai he remembered. And he finally understood just how strong that smile was.

It was just after watching Judai set out on his travels with Pharaoh and Daitokuji that Yusei found himself pulled back to reality, where the real Daitokuji looked at him like a proud father.

“ _You've done more than I had any right to ask of you, Yusei-kun, and I thank you for it._ ” They both looked around the room; all but one of the glass faces reflected Judai's memories now. “ _Another night. Maybe two. Yes, two should do it._ ” Pharaoh began rubbing his head against Yusei's leg, purring as if in agreement. And the world began fading to black.

6 AM. That's what Yusei's clock read. Friday. How was he supposed to kill time until tonight? He was too anxious to work on his D-Wheel; it deserved better than a distracted hand. It was too early to call anyone; the twins would be in school not long after they woke up; Aki was eight hours behind him; maybe he could call Crow in two hours? Hell, Jack might actually pick up for once. Wait! Ushio had to be up by now, and he was the last person Yusei hadn't told about Judai. Well, him and Jaeger. And Mikage. Had he told Carly yet? Yes, but he hadn't talked to her since last week.

Yusei knew what he was doing for the day.

***

Yusei found Ushio sending some Riding Duelist off with a ticket. While they exchanged pleasant greetings, Ushio only let him talk for twenty minutes before claiming that Yusei was “distracting him from his duties.”

“But you let me know if that Celoso guy starts stirring up trouble,” he said. “I may not have supernatural powers like this Judai kid, but no one messes with my city.”

Mikage only let him tell her what he knew about Celoso, which wasn't much. It's not like he'd gotten that far into Judai's memories. She put the info in a folder marked “Yliaster” and sent him on his way after only ten minutes, muttering something about “explains … movements … inform the boss.”

Jaeger just sent his secretary to say, “Mr. Jaeger has already been filled in by miss Mikage,” and how “Mr. Jaeger hopes you getting the rest you need during your time off.”

It annoyed Yusei that all those three seemed to take away was that another new threat might be showing up. What did it matter? Yliaster was gone, and Celoso couldn't do anything by himself; if he was about to lose to Judai, there's no way he'd be able to stand up to both of them.

Carly, at least, was interested in Judai. In fact, she was taking notes. He tried skimming over the Dark World with a hand-waved sentence, but she demanded to hear more. Then she had to ask him to repeat himself because she had been crying too hard to take notes. When he made to leave, she sprinted after him asking, “Wait! Which would you say was tougher, the Dark Signers, Z-ONE, or the Three Phantasms?”

Yusei wasn't sure how, but he was pretty sure that was a loaded question. In the end, he decided to say that they were all terrible events, and that any one of them could have destroyed the world. Carly scribbled something on notepad, mumbled a goodbye that sounded like, “see you in week.”

A week? Right! The reunion. With how busy he'd been saving Judai, actually forgotten. How could he have forgotten?! At least Aki was the one in charge of logistics. Wait. If the party was in a week, that meant Judai would be back by then. Yusei couldn't help the smile that spread over his face as he raced the mid-day sun back to his apartment.

***

That night he followed Judai on his travels around the world. He watched move from Japan to America, from Tibet to Egypt, from Australia to Norway, teaching young duelists how to commune with their duel spirits, and bringing that smile of his to countless people across the globe.

“I wonder how Aki would have turned out if you had been here,” he told the memory as it lay under a starlit sky in a Spanish field. “Luka too for that matter.”

The memory of Judai shrugged. “I don't know who those are. But if they had powers, I know I would have tried to help. I honestly believed bringing humans and spirits closer together would help everybody. Especially since it was about a year after I left that Kaiba-Corp began reverse-engineering Professor Cobra's dis-belt system in order to turn dueling energy into a usable energy source. Without sending people into comas of course.”

Yusei wouldn't be surprised if his father had had a hand in that. The whole thing seemed way too close to Momentum for it to be a coincidence.

He watched Judai travel from Madrid to Venice, and saw their meeting from the other side. He watched them team up with Yugi Muto himself, and saw Paradox fall for the second time. He watched the three of them part ways. He watched the Crimson Dragon return them to their proper time periods, and once again stood with Judai in the ruble of Venice.

“Your determination was inspiring,” the memory of Judai told him. “That intense stare you brought, like you'd tear down the sky itself if it meant saving the world.” Yusei nodded; Asuka had told him the same thing. But then the memory winked at him, saying, “Not to mention I thought that mark on your face was pretty cute.” Yusei felt his cheeks heat up; _that_ was something Asuka hadn't mentioned.


	9. Celoso

Yusei found a sort of surreal anticipation take hold of him the next day; the kind that cleared his mind and let him work on his D-Wheel for the first time in two weeks. After spending an hour longer than he really needed to, he decided it was up to taking on Jack when the man inevitably asked for a rematch. Hell, he might even start teaching Lua how to ride one; he'd would be old enough to get a license in two years, after all.

He spent the rest of the day cleaning the apartment and watching the news. Other than Crow's success in the team dueling circuit and Jack's 10-win streak, there wasn't anything being reported more exciting than the weather. He turned in at 9 PM.

This was the last night.

He entered Judai's memories for the final time. Initially, there wasn't much that was different from Judai's previous travels. There was the occasional news from his friends, about Manjoume's success in the Pro Leagues, about Shou finally getting his Cyber Style league off the ground, about Asuka being offered a position at Duel Academy now that they'd finished moving it to Domino City.

And then Judai went to Peru. He walked across the Nazca lines, and felt the power of the Earthbound Immortals beneath his feet. He was approached by people representing “a certain organization” who asked if he would join them.

“We understand that you're the one who defeated the Society of Light five years ago,” they said. “At the very least, we wish to extend our thanks. They were a constant rival of our own organization, which seeks to protect the world from the very beasts trapped beneath you.” The spokesperson – a Hispanic man dressed in a white suit, black tie, and sunglasses – extended his hand in welcome. “We already count a man like you among our number; he was the one who sent us. He needs your help; three radicals have recently been gaining authority within our organization, spouting the future as if they know it. He hopes that with your help, his plans to save the world can finally come to fruition, before these radicals take complete control.”

Yusei didn't need to see Judai reject their offer; he already knew the man's opinion of cults. Still, learning that Celoso once stood against the Three Emperors gave Yusei pause. Would the attack on Neo Domino never have happened if Celoso had been in charge?

Such thoughts were brief, as he soon found Judai using his contacts in Industrial Illusions to investigate Yliaster. He learned about Noche Celoso – real name unknown – a man who could not only speak to spirits, but who claimed to have traveled to the spirit world itself. Not a man to take lightly.

Yusei watched Judai track him down. He watched as Judai discovered that Celoso was making a sojourn to the farthest dimensions he could find, further than even Judai had been. He watched Judai track him across worlds. He watched Judai finally come face-to-face with the man in a world populated by warriors – Tania’s home dimension. He wore a mask, and eyes looked unnatural. One glowed bright red, the other bright blue. Wherever he had traveled, it had changed him.

“We should not be enemies,” Celoso had said. “I only seek to prepare humanity for the future. I seek only to bring strength to our people.” He spoke with the exaggerated arm movements of a man compensating for his thick accent. “To that end I have scoured dimensions in search of new power to bring to our world. Power that will reshape Duel Monsters in its entirety. Will you help me, Yuki Judai? Or will you stand against salvation?”

“I'm sorry,” Judai said, “but cults and I rarely get along.”

“A shame. However, it seems a waste for either of us to die here.” He reached into his white robe, pulling out a crystal ball that hovered just above his hand. “Shall we change the stakes? We both hold knowledge the other wants. The loser of the duel shall have their mind sealed within this ball; their knowledge shall be at the full disposal of the winner. What say you?”

By now Yusei didn't need to see the memory to know Judai hated the idea. He also knew that Judai would accept. Yliaster was too good at flying under Industrial Illusion's radar; there was a good chance they only made it to Celoso because his rivals wanted him dead.

Yusei watched them duel. He watched as Celoso performed “an overlay of his monsters' spirits,” or so he put it. He felt, through Judai's memories, the primal power of that technique; saw, because Judai did, the threads leading back to the dawn of the universe. Judai couldn't leave such power in the hands of cultists, and he dueled the fiercer for it. In spite of his best efforts, Grand Neos and Necroid Shaman both fell before the monster's effect, but each use consumed one of its XYZ materials. Finally, it stood naked against the power of Judai's Miracle Fusion card.

“This is not the end!” Celoso shouted. Elemental Hero Electrum stared down Celoso's XYZ monster – Guerrero del Espirito. The man was desperate, and played the last card in his hand. “I activate Rank-Up Magic – Soul Force! Despair at the power I took from the Barians and Astrals!”

“Reverse card open!” Judai called, “Super Polymerization!” And it was over. Where once there were two monsters, now only Elemental Hero Escuridao stood. Celoso would lose the minute Judai's turn came. But it never did.

Yusei watched Celoso charge across the field like a man possessed, crystal ball in hand. Judai found himself too startled to dodge before Celoso slammed the orb into his head, even as Escuridao launched its killing blow. The last memory Yusei witnessed was the crystal shattering as Escuridao's dark wave struck home, splintering in all directions, drawing blood from both duelists. After that, there was nothing.


	10. Return

It had all led up to this. Every memory that made Judai who he was reflected off the glass faces that adorned the room. Every duel one, every friend lost, every joyous victory and every life-shattering mistake; Yusei carried them all with him as he stared into the Stasis chamber. Daitokuji had been brief in his explanation; all Yusei had to do was will himself to enter Judai's mindscape. It wasn't as simple as it sounded, but the ghost left before Yusei could ask him to elaborate. He seemed almost preoccupied.

Yusei tried imagining the place he'd seen when Judai was overtaken by the Supreme King, but nothing happened. He tried placing his hand against the stasis chamber, then pressing his forehead against it when that failed. Nothing happened. He looked down at Pharaoh, who simply looked at him with the mildly curious stare cats are wont to give humans. He shook his head with a sigh, and closed his eyes in frustration. He just wanted to bring that smile back. That smile had inspired him when they fought against Paradox. That smile had turned Manjoume from a spoiled rich kid to a compassionate and respectable duelist. That smile had given Shou the confidence to surpass his brother. That smile had forged over dozen friendships, and taught duelists all across the world to connect with their cards. That smile had risen from the ashes of depression and guilt like phoenix. It was stronger than him. It was stronger than anything. Yusei just wanted to see it again.

When he opened his eyes, he was there. A bleak landscape stretched out to dark horizons, devoid of anything save two figures who lay prone across the ground. Yusei breathed in once, then twice, and approached them.

Both Judai and Yubel sat up when he got near. Their movements mirrored each other, and they regarded him with that same curious look infants give to everything they see. Yusei felt his chest tighten. To see a man like Judai reduced to _this_ , to him so completely devoid of anything, it was just wrong. But this was why he was here. This was why he'd lived years of Judai's memories. He just finally understood what he was saving him from. Yusei knelt down, extending his hand. Judai just regarded it with the same stare he gave Yusei, then looked at his own hand to see if it was indeed the same thing.

“Take my hand, Judai,” Yusei said. Daitokuji had told him it would best if he could get Judai's mind to accept the memories; forcing them might just reopen old wounds, inflame past traumas. “You've been like this for too long. Your friends are waiting to see you again. My friends are waiting to meet you.” His words grew quieter; he was almost whispering. “Please, it's time to come home.” Judai looked between the two hands once, twice, three times, as Yusei tried his best to keep his breath calm. Slowly Judai's hand reached out, and just barely brushed fingertips with Yusei's.

It was enough. A faint glow emanated from the point of contact; mirrors started filling the space around them. They came in pairs, one showing the original memory, its partner showing how Yusei experienced it. Judai's eyes stared at Yusei as life returned to them. First came awareness. Then recollection. Finally, Comprehension. His eyes grew wide as he took everything in, lips trembling as he held Yusei's gaze. As the last pair of memories finally appeared, those lips parted, a single breath containing the word “Yusei” escaped them. And the light between their fingers grew. It grew so bright that Yusei couldn't see.

He felt himself falling.

***

He was in the room again. It took him a minute to get his bearings. The glass faces were gone. He could hear distant noises from beyond the sealed wall, but they were drowned out by the cat's incessant meowing. Judai's eyes flashed open in his stasis chamber, which had already begun draining whatever fluid Daitokuji had used to preserve him. It opened, and Judai fell into Yusei's arms. His looked up, and brown eyes met blue. Yusei found himself short of breath; those eyes looked so vulnerable. Not sad, not judging, not angry. Just vulnerable. What was he supposed to say to that?

Before he could figure it out, the front wall split open and Daitokuji ran through, back in the physical form he had inhabited (Yusei recognized it as a recreation of his Amnael form) when Yusei and the twins had first arrived three weeks ago. God, had it only been three weeks? Such thoughts fled once he realized those noises from before were getting louder. They sounded like battle.

“What's going on?” both men asked in unison, though Judai's voice was weaker.

“ _The remnants of Yliaster have launched an attack. It is as I feared: Celoso has returned as well. We have to go._ ” Before either man could protest, Daitokuji raised his hand to silence them. The explosions were getting louder, and cards began vanishing from Daitokuji's duel disk. “ _You a lack deck, Judai-kun is in no condition to duel, and my Alchemy Beasts won't be enough to stop them all. We're leaving_ ,” and he snapped his fingers.

Yusei felt Judai dropping from his arms – dropping _through_ his arms – as his vision faded to black. “Wait!” he yelled, though his voice already sounded distant and the room sped away. As the shadows swallowed him, he barely made out Daitokuji's voice.

“ _Reverse card open! Return from the Different Dimension!_ ”

***

Yusei shot up in his bed, gasping for breath. He threw his frantic gaze about the room. What happened? Did Judai make it out? How was he supposed to find him?

The sound of voices coming from his living room snapped him back to the moment. He rushed out; if Yliaster was after him too, he was ready to force is way to his D-Wheel and take every last bastard on. He'd barely made it out of his bedroom when his breath caught in his throat.

Judai was there. He was there, laying on the floor right in front of the couch. The cat was there too. A small ball of light hovered above them; Daitokuji was rambling some sort of apology. Yusei wasn't listening. He just stood there and watched Judai pick himself off the floor. He listened when Judai rebuked the spirit, saw Judai stop mid-sentence when his eye's met Yusei's. Yusei held his gaze for – a minute? Two? Long enough that he realized Daitokuji had stopped talking. Yusei ran to him, threw his arms around the shorter man and pulled him to his chest.

Yusei wasn't sure how long they stood like that. All he knew was that Judai was here, and that Judai was safe. At some point he relaxed his grip enough for their eyes to meet again, and Yusei found his voice.

“Welcome back.”


	11. One Man's Present Is Another Man's Future

Neither man was going to sleep again that night. They ended up on the couch, Yusei keeping Judai in his arms and Judai refusing to lift his head from Yusei's chest. Yusei's right hand moved through Judai's hair in time with his breath, his left arm draped over the man's back. They sat there long enough for Pharaoh and Daitokuji to move into Yusei's room. Judai was the first one to break the silence.

“It's not fair, you know?” he whispered.

“What is?” He tried stopping his right hand, but Judai seemed to nuzzle against it in protest.

“It's just,” Judai opened his eyes now, moving the bare minimum it took to match Yusei's gaze. “You know everything about me now. And I barely know anything about you.” A small, sad smile appeared on his face, and his eyes closed again. “So it's just not fair. Am I wrong?”

He wasn't. Yusei brought his head down to gently nuzzle Judai's hair, and whispered, “Well, let's fix that, shall we?”

And so Yusei spent the night telling Judai everything. From how the Goodwins and his father had caused Zero Reverse to his time growing up with Jack and Crow in Martha's foster home. From Team Satisfaction and Kiryu's imprisonment to Jack's betrayal. From the Fortune Cup to the Dark Signers. From the reconstruction of Neo Domino to Paradox to the WRPG. All the while his hands never left Judai, and Judai felt as relaxed a child being read a bedtime story.

“You know, you're actually pretty awesome.” Yusei had just finished retelling his duel with Z-ONE, and Judai had the world's most content smile on his face. “I mean, I already knew that, but you're even more awesome than I thought.”

“You're pretty awesome yourself.” Yusei's voice was just barely above a whisper. “You actually went out and did something with your life after Duel Academy. I've just been counting down the days until I see my friends again.”

“You still haven't told me about that,” Judai said. “I wasn't brave enough to tell my friends 'goodbye' in person. What was it like?”

Yusei let out a small chuckle. “Well, Jack needed one last rematch.”

“Sounds like someone I used to know.”

Yusei nodded. He wondered whether Jack or Manjoume would come out on top if they dueled. I was bound to happen eventually; they were in the same league after all. “I might have won, but he's been the one making a name for himself again. I've barely touched my deck in the past year.”

Judai made some sort of “tut-tut-tut” sound and cast him a groggy eye. “I suppose we'll have to fix that, won't we?”

Yusei couldn't have kept the smile from his face if he'd wanted to. “I suppose. Crow's also in the pro-leagues, but on a team. I hear they're doing pretty well for themselves. Luka and Lua are still in Duel Academy. Asuka's still teaching there.” Now _that_ got Judai to jump up. Not by much, but he brought his face level with Yusei's.

“Really? She's here?” Yusei nodded, and Judai lowered his head back to the taller man's chest; the hair stroking resumed. “That's good. Say, you wouldn't know about my other friends, would you?”

Yusei nodded. “Manjoume's in the same league as Jack. I'm sure they'll be dueling over the title of 'king' soon enough. Shou's Cyber Style league is doing pretty well, and I think there was some sort of 'Machine Dinosaur' Duelist who typically ranks in its top three members; I'd bet everything that it's Kenzan.” Judai gave a content sight against his chest, and Yusei felt his smile widen just a little. “I'm afraid I don't know about the others. Sorry.”

“It's okay; I'm sure I'll find out sooner or later. I'm the one who should be sorry, I interrupted you before you could finish.”

“It's fine; I was the one who brought up Asuka anyway.” He nuzzled Judai's hair again. As long as they stayed like this, he honestly didn't care what happened, or who said what. “Now, where was I? Oh right – Aki's studying medicine in Germany. You know, she was the only one to come back to this apartment after my duel with Jack? We were always close like that. Now that I think back on it, she might have been trying to say that she was sweet on me. Especially with that surprise kiss goodbye of hers.”

Judai jumped up again. This time was different; he was tense, and his eyes looked a lot more accusing than the last time. Yusei go the distinct feeling he'd said something wrong. “And just what was _that_ like?” Judai asked.

“Well it was … ni-” Oh. Oh no. He had just … “I mean, it's not like we were ever – it was just –”

He was cut off by Judai's lips on his. It took him a second to realize what was happening before he closed his eyes and leaned into it. _God_ this felt so good. The quick peck on the lips Aki had given him before running off couldn't even compare. He wasn't ready to stop when Judai pulled away.

“So how was that?” Judai asked.

Yusei's answer was to meet Judai's lips again. This time he used his right hand to push Judai's head even closer to his, and he felt Judai's hands tighten around his tank top in response. This kiss was longer, and they were both breathing a little heavy when the pulled apart.

“Better,” Yusei said. “That was much better.” He would have gone in for third kiss if Judai hadn't turned his head towards the window. He decided he should probably look too.

“Well, what do you know?” Judai said, his breath returning to normal. “The sun's up.”

***

It only seemed right that Yusei show Judai around the city. So here they were, Judai arm's clutching Yusei's waist from behind on the _Yusei-Go_. It was mostly just drive-by site-seeing. He showed Judai the Duel Lanes, the arcades where older Duel Tables and Duelist-Kingdom era duel fields were still usable. He pulled up next to the entrance to Duel Academy, though with it being Sunday there wasn't much to see.

“It sure is different,” Judai said. “Doesn't really have the charm that Academy Island had, but I guess it's fine.”

“You know, I could look up Asuka's address.” Yusei felt it was as appropriate a time to broach the subject as any. “Or I could call her, and she could show us around. I've only ever been inside once myself.”

“Not right now,” came Judai's response. “I'm – I'm not ready yet. Maybe in a few days, but not right now.” Yusei nodded and drove on.

Their “tour” brought them to park overlooking the city. It was about noon, and Yusei felt a break would do them some good. He took Judai up the fence to show him the view. He crossed his arms to lean on the fence like he always did. Judai opted to hold the railing in a more traditional way.

They stayed like that for a few minutes, taking in the city as whole, before Yusei broke the silence. “There's still a lot I could show you. We could go visit the twins; they've been anxious to meet you ever since the night they took me to meet Daitokuji in the spirit world.” Judai gave him a wide stare at that. “Oh, right, I'll have to tell you the specifics of that later.” Yusei looked back over the city. “I could take you to Satellite. I'm sure Martha would love to meet you.”

“Yusei,” Judai's voices was quiet. “This all a little much, you know? I've been gone for twenty years, the Domino city I used to know is gone, my friends are all grown up, and Celoso's back. I want to take it slow, get my bearings. Not just jump into the deep end and hope to swim, you know?”

Yusei nodded. Just the tour would be enough for today. Still, there was one question he'd been putting off. “Judai,” he asked, still looking at the city, “once you've readjusted and everything, are you going to go back to the way you were before? Traveling world? Helping duelists connect to their cards?” He heard Judai move away from the railing, but he just closed his eyes and kept talking. “I mean, you were doing some real good. It only makes sense, right? It'd be selfish of me to-” he was cut off by Judai's arms wrapping around his midsection. His eyes opened as the other man's chin come to rest on his shoulder.

“This is a really beautiful city,” Judai said, his tone sweet. “I could see myself living here. Besides, I don't really have the best track record when it comes to trying to do everything on my own, and the two of us make a pretty good team.”

Yusei closed his eyes and smiled. “Judai,” he said, “I...” He didn't let himself finish. He got the feeling this was how Aki felt that night in Poppo Time, how Asuka felt after the tag duel. This was a lot more difficult than it should be. He let himself relax in Judai's arms, and just enjoyed the moment.

Said moment was interrupted by a rather bored meow. Both men turned around to see a familiar feline sitting on Yusei's D-Wheel.

“Pharaoh?” Judai said, letting go of Yusei and scooping the cat up in his arms. “Why'd you come all the way out here?”

“I'm more concerned with _how_ he got all the way out here,” Yusei said. “We're miles away from my apartment.”

“Well Pharaoh goes wherever he pleases.” Judai was facing Yusei again. “Back when I visited America, he disappeared on me for three days. I didn't even see him again until the TSA pulled him out of my luggage.” Judai laughed at the memory; a wholesome laugh that Yusei would have found infectious if he wasn't busy eyeing the cat. Now that he thought about it, that cat had to be over thirty years old. What was it made of, anyway?

Judai gave him a rather playful look, holding one of Pharaoh's paws towards him in mock accusation. “Shouldn't you know that, since you've seen my memories and all?”

Yusei felt a slight blush coming on. “Well it's not like saw _everything_! I just saw the important parts.” Judai just laughed again and Yusei felt his blush grow.

Judai's eyes suddenly went wide and his moved to look at something Yusei couldn't see. Something tugged on the back of Yusei's mind, and he just barely made out a little voice going _kuri kuri_ in the air. Ah, Winged Kuriboh must have found them. Even though tears had started falling from Judai's face, Yusei smiled. It was good that part of Judai's old life had found him.


	12. Good News

Judai rose with the sun. It happened when you slept under bridges or in fields; it's rather difficult to ignore the full light of the sun without blinds. Apparently, you get so used to it that, even when you find yourself sleeping indoors again, your body knows that the sun is rising and so rouses you from your dreams.

Yesterday had been fun. After the tour Yusei had taken him to buy some new clothes; Daitokuji hadn't brought his old duffel bag with them. The jeans and black shirts that accessorized his usual style were easy enough to find, but he'd been much pickier when it came to the jackets. Either red or beige, with a collar and a small coattail, no hood – why were those so hard to find? And then Yusei had pulled him around just as many stores looking for a leather jacket for riding duels.

Deciding on pajamas had been a little weird. A fun kind of weird, but still weird. He was sure they'd drawn a few stares when he kept walking out of the fitting room with different patterned pajamas only for Yusei to shake his head and say, “not cute enough.” At least the other shoppers didn't have Yubel cooing in their heads every time he walked out. Eventually, they'd found a single set of pajamas patterned with the different members of the Kuriboh series. Yusei seemed to like it, and Winged Kuriboh chimed in his approval, so that's what Judai found himself wearing to bed that night.

But yesterday was over. Today he was faced with the challenge of getting out of bed without waking the man next to him. Difficult, given that Yusei's arms were still wrapped around him. Maybe if he just gently moved them, he'd be able to wiggle out.

Yusei stirred behind him; challenge failed. Judai shivered as Yusei whispered a “good morning” against his ear. Maybe staying in bed for a few extra minutes wouldn't be so bad.

***

Judai emerged from the shower to find Yusei at the kitchen table, halfway through a bowl of cereal, and another one set across the table. The same cereal they had yesterday, by the looks of it. He took his seat across from Yusei; he didn't start eating until Yusei broke his gaze.

“Sorry for waking you up,” Judai mumbled as he brought the cereal to mouth. Yep, definitely the same as yesterday.

“Oh, don't worry about,” came Yusei's response. I would've woken up in an hour or so anyway. I tend to be an early riser.” Judai gave a small “hm” in response.

The sound that followed was the faint crunching of cereal as they ate. It was good, sweet and cinnamony, and Judai was pretty sure he'd be enjoying it with a smile on his face if not for the silence. Yusei just sat there, eyes closed, calmly moving spoon from bowl to mouth and back again. Weren't people supposed to talk during mealtimes? Why didn't Yusei say anything? Of course, Judai could ask the same question of himself. But what was he supposed to say? How do you have small talk over cereal with the man you were spooning with just last night?

Yusei stood up, taking his bowl to the sink. Had Judai screwed up? What should he have said? He couldn't just let breakfast end like this! Judai spooned the remaining cereal down his throat as fast as he could, nearly choking on the last spoonful. He downed the milk in the bowl and rushed to join Yusei at the sink.

Yusei was staring at him. Why was he staring? What had he done wrong now? _What didn't you do wrong?_ Yubel's snarky voice rang through his head. He didn't need that now; he had to figure out why Yusei was staring. Actually, now he needed to figure out why Yusei was laughing. What did he do?

Yusei reached to the sink and grabbed a paper towel offering it to Judai. What did _that_ mean. What was he supposed to... he had a milk mustache didn't he. Yubel's laughter in his head didn't help the red on his cheeks. He was just glad he could hide it behind the paper towel. He had to say something. But what was he supposed to say?

“Do you two have a moment?” a voice came from the living room.

Both men whirled in place. Yusei's arm shot out in front of Judai, and Judai felt his eyes glow with Yubel's power. Whoever had broken in was going to regret it. That was, until the two men realized who it was.

“Misawa?” Judai said. “When did you get here?”

“How did you get in my apartment?” Yusei added.

“I've been here the whole time,” Misawa said matter-of-factly. “I just didn't want to interrupt breakfast. As for the second question, I'm not really here. Not physically, that is. You see, I'm using the same technology that let us contact Yusei in his dreams; I'm projecting myself into your heads.” Both men relaxed at the reassurance, though Judai thought it was pretty rude of Misawa to just pop into their heads like that. “I've got some good news: Tania and I managed to capture one of the Yliaster agents that rescued Celoso the other night.”

Right, him. Judai tensed at the name, and was pretty sure Yusei did too. Judai would have liked it if the man just learned his lesson and didn't bother him. He was having enough problems getting used to this new version of Domino without that asshole rearing his face again.

“It sounds like your team did quite a number on them, Yusei-kun. They poured almost all their resources into the Arc-Cradle, and with the Three Emperors dead they haven't had anyone capable of taking the reins until now. Of course, Celoso will probably start rebuilding soon.”

“And how is this good news?” Yusei's voice was its normal calm, but the scowl wouldn't leave his face.

“I mean that if we can find him quickly, we can cut the last head off this serpent! Don't you see? With Celoso gone, Yliaster will either disband or tear itself apart. But only if we take him out before anyone else strong enough to lead them joins.”

Judai let out a sigh. “That' something, at least. So, where is he?”

Misawa's hand moved to the back of his head. “Well, that we still don't know. Anyway, I also wanted to give you a proper welcome back, Judai. So welcome back.”


	13. Reunion

“Well, here we are.”

Judai wasn't ready for this. He'd never be ready; that's why he was here. It wasn't like he had any excuses; he had no way of finding Celoso and Yusei made enough money that Judai didn't need to go job hunting.

“Sure, I might be able to afford a better apartment,” Yusei had told him, “or even a house. But this place is home.” Judai had understood; memories of the Slifer Red dorm came to mind.

So here he was, waiting outside the gates of the new Duel Academy – waiting to meet an Asuka twenty years older than he remembered. Was she still head-strong and prideful? Had her hair started to gray? He gripped Yusei's hand. Did she keep in contact with their friends? Oh God, what if she still had feelings for him?

 _It seems Duel Academy has lowered its standards._ Yubel's thoughts brought him back to the moment. He saw the students file out, most beginning to walk home. It seemed this new Duel Academy started teaching from the middle school level. There was something that rubbed him the wrong way about how they all had the same uniform; what had been so bad about the old dorm system?

“Hey Yusei!” two green-haired children – twins – came running up, and Judai found himself tighten his grip on Yusei's hand. “Who's this – Wait! You're the guy from the weird room! The one Yusei told us about!”

“Don't be rude Lua.” The girl held her brother back. “Um, hello. Yuki-san, right? It's a pleasure to meet you,” she said with a small bow.

“Oh-uh-yes that's right. Just Judai is fine.” Judai returned the bow, but shot Yusei a look from the corner of his eye. “I guess Yusei's been bragging about me?”

“Uh-huh!” Lua flailed his free arm in the air. “He's told us all about you! You've saved the world a whole bunch and can even talk to duel spirits like Luka. You're almost as awesome as Jack!”

Luka slapped him this time. “Lua! Not. In. Public.”

“Oh right, sorry sis. Anyway, you've gotta come over and duel us! Or we could come over to Yusei's place and duel! That'd be even better!”

“Not right now, Lua.” Thank God Yusei was finally intervening. “Judai and I have to see Asuka-sensei right now, but how about we stop by once we're done?” Well, Judai _had_ been wondering what it'd be like to duel someone from this era.

“Promise?” Yusei nodded his head. “Alright, I agree,” and he was off. “C'mon Luka! Stop dawdling!”

***

This had been a bad idea. He should have waited a few more days before bringing Judai here. Asuka deserved to know he was back, but Judai also deserved the time to prepare. He even said as much just yesterday, and Yusei hadn't listened. Now Judai refused to let go of his hand as they walked through Duel Academy.

“Do you want to go back?”

Judai squeezed his hand again, but kept his gaze forward. “No. You're right, I need to do this while we know we have time.”

A few more turns and they found her in the middle of a conversation with that Vice Principal Yusei had put in his place a year ago. What was his name again? Hightmak? Hikman?

“I assure you, my students are ready for whatever final exam you could throw at us, Vice Principal Heitmann.” Asuka hadn't noticed them yet.

“Well, make sure that they know how to use those low-level monsters effectively! If any of them fail, I'm holding them back!” The vice-principal turned to leave, throwing one last comment over his shoulder, “And it appears you have some visitors, Tenjoin-sensei.”

Asuka turned around. She didn't move. Neither did Judai. Then she was running to them. She threw her arms around Judai, tears rolling down her cheek, even as Judai stood there unsure how to react. Asuka's worlds were mangled by her tears, and now Judai was crying as well, wrapping his free arm around her.

And all the while, he still didn't let go of Yusei's hand.

***

“So, how's Manjoume doing? Yusei told me he's in the 'Platinum League,' but I have no idea what that is.”

They were in the school courtyard now. Yusei had decided to give them some space, but that didn't mean he wouldn't listen in from his spot underneath a rather shady tree. Asuka had already filled him in on most of his other friends. Johan had ended up becoming the headmaster of North Academy; he'd turned it into a school that actively seeks out people who can talk to duel spirits. Hayato and O'Brien still worked for Industrial Illusions, though it didn't have nearly the influence it used to since Pegasus passed away. Shou's Cyber Style League was having some trouble competing with the other Pro Leagues; a lot of duelists were just using it to spread their name before moving on. Kenzan refused to leave it no matter which league gave him an offer.

“The Platinum League is the most exclusive out of all the pro-leagues; I'm honestly surprised Yusei didn't tell you.” Asuka hadn't looked away from Judai once since she'd let go of him, nor had she stopped smiling. “Its goal is to find the 'True Duel King.' The goal is to defeat every other member in the league at least once, and also reach an unbroken streak of fifty wins. If you actually manage to become king, you can't lose more than twice in a given year.”

Judai whistled at that. “And Manjoume's high up in its ranks? I mean, I always knew he'd be a great pro, but damn that's impressive.”

Asuka nodded. “They also hold charity duels to raise money for different organizations, but even those still count towards the win-streak. Manjoume's currently got thirty-eight wins under his belt; I can't tell you how many of my students ask me to get his autograph.”

“Is he still pining after you?”

“No. He finally gave up about two years ago. Fubuki's been playing matchmaker with him ever since.”

“I believe it.” Judai laid back on the grass. “So, what about Edo? Is he Platinum?”

Asuka shook her head. “He's the current World champion of the old Pro-League – the same one DD was champion of. He refuses to participate in riding duels; he says they're more about spectacle than skill. I honestly think he's just too stubborn to change with the times.”

Judai nodded. “Really? I honestly think this new way of dueling is pretty cool. Yusei's planning on teaching me; he's already taken me to get a biker's suit.”

“Really?” Asuka actually turned toward Yusei at that, shooting him a rather mischievous look. “Maybe he just couldn't wait to see what you look like in leather.”

Yusei blushed. Not just some small heat in his cheeks, but a full-faced red-like-a-tomato blush. He felt his mouth hang open and his eyes go wide. He stared at her, at that mischievous look; Judai's memories hadn't shown him that side of her.

“Why would he want that?” Thank God for Judai's inexperience with sexual context.

Asuka turned back to him, waving her hand in front of her face. “Oh nothing. It's just a joke.”

Judai cocked an eyebrow at her, but didn't press the issue further.

***

“How are you holding up?”

Yusei was preparing dinner at the apartment. Judai cocked an eyebrow from his spot on the couch. “I mean, I don't normally enjoy beating thirteen-year-olds,” he said, “but it was fun. Lua's actually really good, and those morphtronic monsters of his were really cool. Plus, I got to see Winged Kuriboh make a couple of new friends.” Apparently Winged Kuriboh had quickly grown fond of Luka and her Kuribon. Yusei and Lua spent the better part of half an hour watching a conversation neither could see and Yusei could just barely hear.

“I meant about Asuka.”

“Oh.” Judai didn't answer until he took a spot at the table. “It was weird, seeing her that old. I mean, she looks younger than she is, but she still looks way older than I remember.” Another moment of silence as Yusei moved the noodles to the colander. Ramen wasn't the fanciest dinner, but Yusei didn't have much else. He wasn't even sure what foods counted as romantic.

“I can't imagine what it's like. If was still too early, I'm sorry.”

“No no, I needed this. Even with those extra years, she's still the same Asuka.” Judai watched him add the sauce and the seasonings. At least it was fancier than cup ramen. “And I'm glad everyone else is doing well.” Yusei brought their servings to the table. “Itadakimasu” was muttered and the two men ate.

“Still, I shouldn't have pushed you,” Yusei said. “I'm sorry.”

“Hey,” Judai looked up from his meal, a small smile on his lips, “I said don't worry about it. Really.” He took another mouthful of food. “You know, you're a really good cook.”

Yusei found himself smiling back. “Thank you.”

“I'm serious. Even without the whole you being inside my head thing, I'd probably fall in love with you just for this.”

Yusei stopped. His eyes drifted up and he felt his mouth drying. “So, are you saying you're in love with me?” It was a stupid question. He knew he was, but neither of them had actually said it before.

Judai looked up, his last bite falling back to the bowl. “I mean,” he looked from Yusei towards the couch and back again. “I thought that was obvious.”


	14. The New and the Newer

“You really love that bike, huh?”

It was early the next day. Judai had woken them up at dawn again, and the first thing Yusei did after breakfast was start working on the _Yusei-Go_.

“It's not a bike, it's a D-Wheel,” Yusei corrected. “And yeah, it's more important to me than my duel disk. Plus,” he put the finishing touches on his tune-up and turned to Judai, “It's second most beautiful thing here.”

Judai's face matched his jacket, and he took a sudden interest in the floor. “I mean … what am I supposed to say when you say things like that?”

Yusei walked over to his boyfriend; they had agreed to start calling themselves that. “Hey, I'm not the one who threw out a love confession over a bowl of ramen.” He planted a kiss on Judai's cheek. “Anyway, I was thinking I should start teaching you about riding duels. You loved dueling twenty years ago, but you'll need to learn the new rules if you're going to stand a chance in the current era.”

Judai's face lifted up at that, the blush forgotten. “I guess you're right.” I smile spread over his face. “I hadn't really given it much thought. I just assumed it was like dueling on a motorcycle with an autopilot.”

“Oh trust me, it's way more complicated than that. Now how about we go change into our riding outfits?”

***

Take away the dueling and a D-Wheel handled almost exactly like a motorcycle. Only faster. Much faster. Fast enough that Judai needed Yusei's help steering for the first few minutes, and having his boyfriend’s arms reach around him like that didn't help his concentration. So it wasn't long before they got pulled over by a police officer on a D-Wheel of his own.

“Yusei! How's it going?” The man said. He had to be somewhere in his late forties.

“It's good to see you too, Ushio.” At least Judai wouldn't have to go fishing for a name.

“So, what's going on here? You teaching this guy about riding duels?”

“This is Judai. I told you about him a week ago, remember? Judai, meet Ushio.”

“Err, hello.” Judai extended his hand and Ushio took in the firmest handshake to ever crush Judai's knuckles.

“Oh, _that_ Judai! Good to meet you! I hear you've saved the world a few times yourself!”

“I mean, I try. So, are we in trouble?”

“What? No no no, Yusei here's got enough skill to keep you two safe. Anyway, you ever get lost or run into trouble, come find me.” He started up his D-Wheel and gave them a salute in farewell. “Stay safe!” he as he passed them.

“Well,” Judai said as he watched the older man cruse down the street, “he seems nice.”

“Ushio's a good guy.” Yusei's arms wrapped around Judai's midsection again, and the red-suited man suppressed a shiver. “Now, you were doing pretty good at the end there. I think we'll be able to move on to dueling with the autopilot by tomorrow.”

They spent the rest of the morning getting Judai familiar with driving. By the time noon rolled around, Yusei trusted him enough to let him take a few laps around the local dueling circuit by himself. After the first lap, Judai's composure started to return. By the time he was done Yusei said he looked like a natural.

“It must be your natural dueling talents. Even Aki didn't get the hang of it as quickly as you did.”

“You sure?” Judai pulled off his helmet. “I haven't even dueled yet. Plus, I've driven motorcycles before, so this wasn't too different.”

Yusei just shook his head. “A D-Wheel is as connected to dueling as a duel disk. I bet you'll be ready to start dueling without the autopilot by the end of the week.”

“Maybe.” Judai looked back to the bike. “It did start to feel like I was connecting with it towards the end there.” He exhaled and turned back to Yusei. “Either way, I'm starving. Do you think we should head somewhere to eat?”

“Oh?” Yusei moved closer, wrapped his arms around Judai's waist and pulled the shorter man closer, so that the only thing separating them was Judai's helmet. “You mean like a date?”

Judai's felt his face turn red again, and his eyes drifted away from Yusei's. “You've been really flirty today, you know that?”

“Well, we admitted we love each other last night. Besides,” Yusei planted a kiss on Judai's forehead, “you're so cute when you're flustered.” Judai closed his eyes; if anyone was around to see them, he didn't want to know. “But yes, I do know a good place for us to get lunch.”

Judai's hands tightened on his helmet. “You're driving.”

***

They ended up having lunch at Cafe la Geen. While he didn't order any coffee, Judai was quite happy when he found out they served fried shrimp. When they left, Yusei insisted that Judai drive them home; the more practice he could get in, the better. Now Yusei was going over the specifics of riding duels, and Judai found himself heartbroken.

“All these new rules are gonna kill half my deck.” Judai stared forlornly at his Elemental Heroes. Yusei watched him from the other side of the kitchen table.

“I'm sure you'll figure something out. I mean, a lot of duelists use Speed Fusion after all.”

“It's not just that! Look,” he gestured to the wide array of spell cards that were pushed to the side. “Sure, I replace Polymerization with Speed Fusion, but my deck only works because the Elemental Heroes have so many support cards. I'm losing almost all of them.”

Yusei nodded. Most riding duelists had decks that could easily swap out traditional spells for speed spells with only minor changes to the rest of the deck. It didn't help that his deck didn't rely too heavily on any particular archetype; Crow would be a much better person to ask.

“And what's with this new limit on the extra deck size?” Judai continued his laments. “A good Elemental Hero deck takes advantage of all their different fusions. Having a fifteen-card limit is like asking me to duel with one leg tied behind my back!”

Yusei placed his hand over Judai's. “Hey, don't worry. We don't need to rush this. My friend Crow – you remember, the who uses Blackwings? – he'll probably have a lot more advice for you than I will.”

Judai looked up, hope and despair mixing on his face. “I thought you said he joined the Team-Dueling Pro-League?”

Yusei blinked. He would have slapped himself if his hand wasn't busy comforting his boyfriend. “That's right, I forgot to tell you. Team 5D's has its reunion in two days.”

Judai settled on hope. “Oh. I guess that could work then.” The hope began to fade. “Still, are you sure I won't be in the way? It is a reunion after all and-” Yusei squeezed his hand to silence him.

“Don't think like that. You don't need to distance yourself anymore. I love you, and I want to give my friends the chance to know you too.” Yusei softened his voice and a smile returned to his face. “Besides, they all want to meet you. I told them a lot about you when I was reliving your memories.” He relaxed his grip on Judai's hand.

Judai's eyes dropped, and his head nodded. “Thank you,” he whispered.

“Of course.” Yusei gave his hand a final squeeze before standing up. “Now, why don't we leave reorganizing your deck alone for right now? Jack's match is about to start.”

Judai perked up at that. “Well, in that case,” he got up and strolled toward the couch, “I guess I can give it a rest for tonight.”

Yusei felt a familiar feline rub against his leg as he joined his boyfriend on the couch. One arm settled around Judai's shoulders, the other bent down to rub Pharaoh's head. “Channel five,” he said as Judai turned on the TV.

The Platinum-League was exclusively for riding duels. This would be Judai's first time watching one; no doubt he'd have a better sense of how to shape his new deck once he saw one play out. That fact that it was Jack dueling didn't hurt.

“Let's get the this show on the road!” came the announcer's voice. “We'll start with the dark horse of the Platinum-League, the former king of Neo Domino, Jack Atlas!” Cheers could be heard from the crowd as the camera cut to backstage. A man with a far higher voice with a microphone stood next to Jack. Jack scowled at him, white riding suit glistening like a waxed floor.

“Mister Atlas,” the interviewer said, “No other duelist in the Platinum-League has had a first year like yours. In that short amount of time, you already find yourself defending a win-streak of twenty. Of course, one wrong move and this duel could knock you back to square one. Are you nervous?”

A superior smirk appeared on Jacks lips as he faced the camera. “You're right; a single wrong move can prove fatal in the Platinum-Leagues. That's why I don't have anything to fear. I couldn't make a wrong move if I tried!”

“Well, it looks like our dark horse is as fearless as ever.” The announcer was back. “Now, let's go to his opponent, a hardened veteran of the Platinum-League who knows all too well the pain of losing: You know him, you love him, Sid Piranha!” The camera cut to a duelist who clearly thought punk and goth were the same style. An interviewer with an auctioneer's voice was with him.

“Strong words from Mr. Atlas. What do you do think, Piranha?”

“Hey, I sympathize with guy. We've all thought we were invincible at one time or another; I'll just have to show him what the grown-up world is like. In fact, I've made myself a new deck just for this very night! I promise, no one has seen a move like the one I'm about to make.”

The camera cut back to the dueling field as the announcer came back. “Strong words on both sides! Just like you'd expect from Platinum duelists! Now, without further ado,” the crowd chanted with him now, “START! YOUR! ENGINES!” Two D-Wheel's exploded onto the field, taking their places at the starting line to the cheers of thousands. The light was red. “READY!” Now yellow. “SET!” Green. “DUEL!”

***

It was honestly amazing. The speed, the monsters, the different ways the duelists used Speed World 2's effects; Judai was losing himself in the duel just by watching. Sid's sea serpents clashed against Jack's power deck. The duel seemed even, until Sid's Atlantean combo took out the last of Jack's defending monsters.

“Well Jack? Ready to give up?” the broadcast picked up the banter. “There's no shame in losing; we've all been there. Take your lumps with humility and I'm sure you'll come back stronger for it. Who knows, maybe you'll even rival Thunder one day. Assuming I don't beat him first.”

“You know, you really do deserve the name 'Piranha.'” Jack sounded less than impressed. “You're vicious, to be sure, and I'm sure a group of you would be dangerous, but all alone you're just a small fish.”

“Trash talk isn't gonna help you now. My two Atlantean Marksmen can take out any set cards you use to stop me. My three Atlantean Attack Squads are stronger than any monster you can summon this turn. You can't win!”

“It seems you have the brains of a Piranha as well.” Jack's confidence hadn't wavered once during the duel. “When you control monsters and I control none, I can special summon Vice Dragon to the field with its ATK and DEF halved!” A purple and green dragon flared to life on Jack's field, even as he picked up speed and gained on his opponent. “Now I'll normal summon Clock Resonator!” A dark, impish creature joined the dragon. “And I'm sure even someone as slow as you can see what's coming next!

“The king's heartbeat now pulses through here! Behold its creation-shaking power! Synchro Summon!” The imp transformed into three rings in which the dragon transformed into five stars. Even though it was only a television broadcast, Judai could feel the power of the spirit emerging from that gate. “My very Soul! Red Dragon Archfiend!”

Judai's blood was boiling; he'd give almost anything to be down there, witnessing that power firsthand. As it was, all he could do was lean towards the TV with fists clenched in excitement. Still... “Did you say Synchro Summoning wasn't allowed anymore?” He turned to Yusei. In stark contrast to the rest of the day, he was completely oblivious to how close their faces were. “Something about how it was dangerous for that duel energy system you're using to power everything?”

“We're doing our best to phase them out,” Yusei looked at him out of the corner of his eye, “but the Platinum-League has been pretty stubborn. Most of its top duelists use Synchro monsters, and the League is more worried about fan backlash than momentum.” Yusei's eyes turned back to the TV. “But it's fine, with Synchros out of the other Pro-Leagues, it's not happening often enough to really be a danger to momentum. And I'm sure they'll come around eventually.”

Well, that made sense. Judai was still bothered by the widespread usage of duel energy as a power source, but Yusei knew what he was doing. Either way, there wasn't anything to be done about it tonight, so he turned his attention back to the duel.

Jack held no mercy. “Red Dragon Archfiend attacks your Atlantean Marksman!” The red dragon let out a thunderous roar as it slashed Sid's monster, and Sid's life points dropped to five hundred. Jack sped past his opponent. “I set one card and end my turn!”

“I can see where you get your arrogance, Jack Atlas!” Sid didn't seem too phased. “But did you really think I wasn't prepared for this? I draw! I tribute summon Divine Dragon Aquabizarre!” His remaining Atlantean Marksman was replaced by a lumbering sea-snake, bearing its 2100 ATK against Red Dragon Archfiend's 3000. Odd that he'd include it in a riding duel deck, Judai thought; its effects were useless without traditional spell cards. “Now the _real_ show can begin! Watch as I show you just how archaic that dragon of yours is! I build the overlay network using my three level three Atlantean Attack Squads! XYZ Summon!”

Judai's blood ran cold. It couldn't be; there's no way Celoso could have acted this fast, was there? Was Piranha Sid an Yliaster agent? Would the beast that emerged be real? He felt Yusei's hand clench his shoulder; Yusei was as worried as he was. Damn it! Judai would give anything to be down there right now!

“The crashing waves reveal the depths' mightiest predator! Arise, Tri-Edge Levia!” A dark blue anthropomorphic fish clad in dark armor appeared on Sid's field. A silver spear shown in its hand, and the monsters used for its summon circled it like electrons in an atom. The crowd loved it; the announcer was using as many ways to sound surprised as he could find.

Jack remained unimpressed. “All that for a mere 1800 ATK points?”

“Come now Jack, surely a duelist of your skill knows not to judge a book by its cover? This monster is the future of dueling; with Synchros being phased out we need something new to keep the game lively. Now watch! By removing one of my monster's XYZ materials, I can negate the effects of one of your monsters, and lower its ATK by eight hundred until the End Phase!” One the orbiting monsters disappeared into the beast's trident, and a blue aura surrounded Jack's Dragon; its ATK dropped to 2200. “Now I'll activate the speed spell Star Force! By banishing my Divine Dragon Aquabizarre while I have four speed counters, Tri-Edge Levia gains 500 ATK until the End Phase!” His swiped his arm out in front of him, the crowd cheering him on. “Go Levia! Destroy his ace!”

“You really must think I'm an idiot.” Even with that monster bearing down on him, Jack's composure refused to falter. “Did you really think I'd leave my ace monster undefended? Reverse card open! Negate Attack!” Sid Swore. Levia's attack halted; the battle phase was over. With an empty hand, Sid was forced to end his turn, and Jack drew. “You overplayed your hand! Now take the full force of my might! Go Red Dragon Archfiend!” Jack's dragon tore through Sid's monster; his life points dropped to zero.

It was over. That was it. No soul stealing, no real monsters rampaging through the crowd, not even a declaration of vengeance from Sid. But why? Would an Yliaster agent really leave things like that? No. But Sid just seemed mildly annoyed that he lost; was he really just some unknowing pawn?

“What a match!” The same interviewer from before was talking to Sid. “It's a shame that you lost, but still! That monster you summoned; we've never seen anything like it! What was it?”

“That was the future, my friend. A few days ago, a representative from Kaiba-Corp gathered a whole bunch of us Platinum duelists. We've been entrusted with testing these new monsters out in the Pro Leagues. With Synchro monsters being phased out for 'security reasons' the game needs something new to take its place.”

“Fascinating. Now tell us-” Judai stopped listening. Yusei had too, if the fact he had stood up and was furiously dialing his phone was any indication. Judai followed suit. If Yliaster had agents in Kaiba-Corp, he'd need O'Brien's help to find them.


	15. All Forces: Scramble

It was a damn good thing Yusei knew Ushio and Jaeger personally. It was even better that they were both experienced enough to take him at his word when he said the safety of the world relied on them finding out how Kaiba-Corp developed those XYZ monsters. Jaeger was arranging meetings with Kaiba-Corp's top officials before midnight, and Ushio said he'd have a sketch artist at the apartment by eight the next day.

“We'll have Celoso's face in the hands every damn police department in the country by noon,” he said. “We'll smoke him out of whatever hole he's hiding in.”

It was also a damn good thing they got Judai a new cell phone when they went clothes shopping. It was even better that they managed to get his old number on it; O'Brien knew who was calling before he picked up.

“Well O'Brien's mobilizing everyone in Industrial Illusion's corporate espionage branch,” Judai said as he hung up. “And apparently Asuka already told everyone I'm back. When I called, O'Brien thought I'd found out about the surprise party. So apparently there's a surprise party.”

Yusei tried to smile. He did smile, but it was small and tired. “Well, I guess that's the closest to a silver lining we're going to get.”

He called Jack. And then he called Jack again. The man finally picked up the fourth time. He called Crow. He called Aki. He called the twins. They all deserved to know. The twins were worried. Well, Luka was; Lua was as confident as ever that they'd beat them. Aki swore. Crow swore too, but anyone could have known that. Jack stormed off to interrogate Sid. Hopefully he wouldn't end up in jail by the end of the night.

Yusei finished the last of his calls. Judai had taken a seat at the kitchen table, the back of his head in his hands as he stared at the furnished wood. They'd done all they could; now they had to wait.

Neither man felt like cuddling when they finally went to bed.

***

“Come now, cheer up you two!”

Neither man had eaten anything for breakfast. They had barely talked to each other; Yusei worked on his D-Wheel from the time they woke up until the sketch artist arrived, and Judai had spent the time pouring over his deck. Now that he'd left, their eyes were busy burning holes in the table. As fare as Daitokuji could tell, they hadn't even realized they'd been holding hands.

“You've both been in much tougher spots!” When neither man acknowledged him, he turned to Pharaoh for help. The cat wasn't even looking at him. “Judai,” he moved closer to his old friend, “think of all the times you've had to sit around and wait for your enemies to make their move. Kagemaru, Yubel, Darkness; you beat them all! And this time you're actually forcing their hand, moving before they can! There's no way Celoso is prepared for the sheer amount of manpower the two of you have thrown against him!”

Yusei was the one who acknowledged him. The spiky-haired man closed his eyes, let out a sigh, and squeezed Judai's hand. “He's right. We just have to trust our friends to do their best.” Judai didn't look up. Why would he? Every crisis the boy had dealt with he'd fought alone.

Except Paradox. “Judai,” the ghost put on a smile, “You have to trust your friends to do what they can. Yusei trusts them.”

And the wall came down. Judai puffed out a breath and leaned his head against Yusei's shoulder; his eyes fluttered to a close. Yusei's eyes followed suit, and he nuzzled his face against Judai's hair. Daitokuji decided it was best he leave them alone. He turned back into a ball of light and flew into Pharaoh's mouth. At least the cat was always ready help him make an exit.

***

Judai wished this could be enough. He wished cuddling against his boyfriend could tame the anxiety swelling in his chest. He wished Yusei's mere presence was enough to dissolve his fears. But this wasn't a romance movie, and the two men found themselves changing into their riding outfits after five minutes.

Practicing on the duel runner went a lot smoother today; Judai wasn't in any mood to be embarrassed about Yusei's arms around his waist. After two hours practicing driving, Yusei decided it was time to start dueling with the autopilot on. The flirtatious boyfriend was out sick today; the kind but critical dueling coach was filling in.

“You need to be less hesitant when you draw,” he said through the helmet's radio. “The more you worry about the cards flying out of your hand, the more likely it is to happen.” Judai was glad Yusei was like this; he couldn't deal with flirting today. “Don't think of this as any different than using a duel disk on a windy day.” Judai didn't speak once while on the bike.

It took him two hours to get through a mock duel without a rebuke from Yusei. After two more he pulled up to the pit, hopped off the bike, and pulled his helmet off. “How'd I do?”

Yusei managed a smile. “I'd be lying if I said you weren't progressing faster than I did.”

There was something about the way he said it. The sheer respect in his voice, the tint of awe in his eyes, the curve to his smile, it all felt so warm. Reassuring, even. Judai found himself smiling back. “We're gonna win this thing, aren't we?”

Yusei let out a soft chuckle. “Of course we are.”


	16. How to Say Hello and Mean It

This reunion was even better than he had hoped.

Aki had been the first to arrive, bearing food and drink. Plenty of chips, soda, popcorn, and other assorted party foods. She even brought enough cup ramen to keep Jack from complaining. Judai muttered a complaint about there being no fried shrimp, but Aki didn't seem to hear.

“So, you must be Yuki Judai-san,” she said. “Yusei's told us a lot about you.”

“Just Judai is fine,” he responded, “And Yusei's told _me_ that you used to be one of Asuka's students. What was that like?”

Judai seemed touchier than usual for the half an hour the two spent swapping stories about Asuka, be it arm around his waist when they were standing or a hand on his shoulder when they moved to the kitchen table. Aki's eyes darted to that hand every few minutes, though Yusei couldn't tell you why. On top of that, he could have sworn he felt a slight tension fill the apartment when he left to pick up the twins.

***

“I'm sorry.” Yusei had been gone for five minutes when Judai apologized.

“For what?” Judai was pretty sure Aki was trying to be polite. She knew.

“You don't have to play dumb. It's just …” There was no easy way to say this, was there? “Yusei and I are going out. And he told me that you kissed him the last time he saw you.”

“Oh.” Aki's eyes lowered, but she kept her head held high. “Nothing ever happened between us. I'd be lying if I didn't wish it did, but he's so protective it wouldn't have worked out.” She looked at him again. “So don't worry, I'm not angry with you or anything.”

 _She means it_. Yubel was much better at reading people than he was. “Like I said, I'm the one who's sorry here.” He let his face soften. “Did Yusei tell you about Yubel?” Aki shook her head. “Yubel was, is, a very important person to me. They're a duel spirit, and the short version is that they went crazy for a little bit, and I had to stop them from destroying the universe.”

“When you say universe...”

“I mean everything. This world, the spirit worlds, everything. The only way I stopped them was by fusing us together. They're a part of me now.” Aki's eyes went wide. _She's both impressed and confused._ “Yubel can be … possessive, to say the least. They look at you and they see a rival. Which means I do too. So again, I'm sorry.”

Aki processed that for a minute. Then she shrugged her shoulders and says, “Well, it sounds like you can't really help it. Like I said, I'm not angry at you.”

By the time Yusei came back with the twins, Aki was telling Judai about how hard it was for her to learn how to duel on a D-Wheel.

***

When Jack arrived, the first thing he did was apologize for not being able to find out anything from Piranha Sid. The second thing he did was ask Aki to start over whatever story he interrupted. The third thing he did was notice Judai was there.

“Ah, you must be that Judai fellow Yusei mentioned. Well met.” He didn't bother shaking hands. “If you're as good as Yusei says, we'll have to duel sometime.” He turned his attention back to Yusei and Aki before Judai could even greet him back. Lua found it all very cool.

Crow literally kicked the door open when he showed up. “I'm here everybody, you can stop panicking!” he yelled while jumping down half the staircase. “So, what's everybody been up too?”

“Oh, that's right,” Jack said, “you exist.” Not ten seconds in and the two were already fighting. It was five minutes before Crow started running low enough on insults for him to notice Judai. At which point he turned his back on Jack and made for the beige-jacketed man with quite a purpose. Jack's attempts to taunt him back to their argument fell on deaf ears.

“So, you're Yuki Judai? Nice to meet ya'!” He shook Judai's hand almost as hard as Ushio had. “We'll have to duel sometime, and don't think I'll go easy on you just because you're a friend.”

***

Two hours had passed since Crow showed up. He and Judai were going over the changes the latter needed to make to his deck at the kitchen table. Judai's face looked more forlorn with each passing minute. Aki, Luka, and Yusei were all on the floor playing a pick-up game of Duel Monsters, battle-royal style. Jack was bragging about his Platinum-League duels to Lua from his spot at the couch.

“Now, I'm not supposed to tell you this yet,” he said in the least superior tone he could muster. “but since they'll be announcing it tonight, we'll be fine. I'm actually scheduled to face-off against Manjoume Thunder in a mid-season charity duel in about ten days.”

“Really? That's so awesome!” Lua was practically bouncing at the news. “When you beat him, it'll make you a shoo-in for king!”

“You're dueling Manjoume?” Judai's face held the first glimpse of happiness he had shown in the past hour. “That's gonna be so cool! Although, I guess I kinda have to root for him, since he's one of my best friends and all.”

“Hrmph, you'll be wasting your breath. He'll be my toughest opponent in this league for sure, but I refuse to lose to anyone. It's my goal to retake my title of king as soon as possible. Even if it won't break Manjoume's official win-streak, beating him in a promotional duel means I'll be one step closer to that goal. I won't let anything stand in my way.”

Lua thought that was just about the coolest thing he'd ever heard. Judai muttered something about “two peas in a pod” before returning to his deck. Yusei, Luka and Aki went back to their duel.

Another ten minutes passed. Yusei won the pick-up duel, Judai was sounding even more heartbroken, and Jack was starting to repeat himself when an impatient knock arrived at the door. Everyone stopped. They looked at each other; no one else was expected. The knock came again, even more impatient.

“I guess I'll get it,” Crow said, gallivanting up the stairs. He cracked open the door. “Who's-” he cut himself off. Yusei couldn't see who it was, but it wasn't like Crow to just stop in the middle of a sentence like that. “Y-you're-” the door flying open finished his sentence. Manjoume Thunder came strutting down the stairs, eyeing the room, stopping when his eyes fell over the kitchen. His eyes squinted as Judai's widened.

Jack bolted up. “You've got some nerve barging in here! Our match isn't-”

“JUDAI!” Manjoume didn't even acknowledge Jack as he shot a challenging finger at his old rival.

This wasn't the Manjoume from Judai's memories. This man had started to gray near the ears, his face was rigid with age, though any wrinkles were covered with makeup. His black jacket featured white highlights around the collar and cuffs, and Yusei felt a very strong presence from him. No, from behind him, as prideful as it was strong. This was the man who was favored to become King of the Platinum-League.

“It's been twenty years, Judai. I'm not the same man I was the last time we dueled. I'm facing off against that punk,” he jabbed a thumb towards Jack, ignoring the indignant words that the blond man spewed in response, “in ten days. So I'm giving you two weeks to get your deck up to snuff, and I'll finally settle the score with you!” He strutted back up the stairs, coat flaring dramatically as he did so. He stopped at the doorway, and turned his head to look at Judai out of the corner of his eye. “And Judai,” he sounded less pompous now, “Celoso doesn't stand a chance.” With that, he disappeared into the light of the afternoon sun.

The room fell silent for a minute. Then Crow closed the door, looked at Jack, and said, “Since when are there two of you?”

The two launched into yet another argument. Yusei moved to check on Judai. He placed a gloved hand on his boyfriend's shoulder. “You okay?”

Judai just nodded, his eyes still looking at the door. “He's changed. He's stronger now.”

“Really?”

Judai nodded, and turned to him. His eyes were excited, and the corners of his mouth were starting to rise. “He didn't have that dragon spirit with him before.”


	17. The Calm

Jack secured two weeks' vacation for after his duel with Manjoume; he'd taken less time off than Yusei had. Crow's league still had a month left before its off-season, but he said he'd beg Jaeger to pull some strings to get his team's remaining duels held in Neo Domino. Aki had three months of Summer Vacation. If Celoso made a move any time soon, they'd be ready.

At least, Judai hoped they'd be. The sun had long since set and Yusei's friends had left an hour ago. They were good people. Judai could tell they were strong, but was strength enough? Celoso was willing to risk everything in pursuit of his goal. He'd be more than happy to pull them into the fire with him.

“You need to relax.”

Judai looked up from his spot on the couch. Yusei had stripped back down to pants and a tank top, and had a rather sweet smile on his face. Judai sighed. “I know. But I'm not really good at that.”

Yusei looked him over once. “I think I have an idea. Take off your shirt.”

 _Oooooooh._ Yubel's taunting did nothing to help the blush spreading on Judai's face. Should he jump up and say that's moving too fast? _Was_ it moving too fast? Was that even what Yusei meant? _I know it's what I'd mean._ He ended up stammering out a “Why?” without moving an inch.

“Back massages tend to be better if there's nothing in the way.” That smile of his was so damn innocent.

“Oh. Okay.” _Disappointing. I thought things were finally getting interesting between you two._ For as little as Yubel actually talked to him, he wished they'd have more productive things to say.

He kept his back turned as he slipped off his jacket. It took a few breaths before his shirt followed. He didn't turn around; it was all he could do to keep his breath steady.

“Now lay down on the couch. On your stomach.”

Judai complied. Still, he didn't look at Yusei. He heard Yusei walk around the couch, heard him stop, tensed his muscles and held his breath in anticipation of the coming touch. He still flinched when he felt Yusei's fingers on his back.

“It doesn't help if you tense up.” He could say that all he wanted, but that didn't make it easier! “I'm not the best at this or anything, but I know it helps if you keep taking deep breaths.”

Judai's breaths came shallow and shaky as Yusei started with his shoulders. It didn't get any better as Yusei's hands moved to his shoulder blades, nor as Yusei's thumbs began grinding circles in the small of his back. His breath hitched when Yusei reached his lower back, and again when those hands reached his waist. So low. So close to his-

“Deep breaths,” Yusei's voice came as a light reminder.

Right. His breaths remained shaky as Yusei worked his waist, then returned to his lower back. The small of his back. He just had to stop thinking about it. His shoulder blades. Don't think about it. By the time Yusei reached his shoulders again, Judai's breaths had become regular; but they remained shallow. Yusei began massaging the base of his neck. _Don't think_ , came Yubel's voice. Don't think? Don't think. Yusei massaged his neck. His shoulders. His shoulder blades. The small of his back. His lower back. His waist. Judai's breaths had steadied. Waist. Lower back. The small of his back. Shoulder blades. Shoulders. Neck. Judai's breaths were even, deep, calm. Neck. Shoulders. Shoulder blades. The small of his back. Lower back. Waist. Waist. Lower back. The small of his back. Shoulder blades. Shoulders. Neck. Neck. Shoulders. Shoulder blades. The small of his back. Lower back. Waist. Waist. Lower back. The small of his back. Shoulder blades. Shoulders. Neck.

Yusei's hands left his skin. Judai's eyes cracked open, and he barely turned his head so he could look at his boyfriend. Yusei was stretching his fingers, cracking his knuckles. Yusei looked at him, that same smile on his face.

“So, how was I?”

Judai let out another deep breath. His face had relaxed to the point where he didn't want to strain it with anything more than a small smile. He looked Yusei in the eye.

“God I love you,” he whispered.

“Well, thank you.” Yusei leaned down to give him a quick peck on the lips. “It's pretty late. We should head to bed, don't you think?”

***

It was dark. He didn't want to turn on the lights; he was too tired for them. He did not enter into this decision lightly, but he was out of options. The Kaiba-Corp experiment had been a failure. What good were monsters that weak?

“ _Are you having second thoughts?_ ” Zombyra.

Celoso had dismissed his attendants. They had their orders, and any large gathering couldn't last for long. Not with the police hunting him. Damn Judai. Damn his stubbornness. Why couldn't he see that they were on the same side? What he was doing would save humanity, God damn it!

“The path I now find myself on is paved with blood.”

“ _Do not falter here. Destiny approaches, and she shows no mercy to the hesitant._ ”

Zombyra. The duel spirit whom he first met as a child. The spirit that shared his desire to save the world; to save it at any cost. It was Zombyra who led him to Yliaster, who guided him to long-forgotten ruins, who fought with him through the deepest reaches of the spirit world until he reached the end of space itself: The Astral and Barian Worlds. Such power resided in those worlds, primordial and terrifying. If he could take it, master it, teach it – humanity might have a chance.

But of all people, the Supreme King had to interfere! Zombyra was powerless to help him against such a foe, and Celoso's own strength proved insufficient. Damn him! If he hadn't interfered, Celoso wouldn't have lost the last twenty years to those three upstarts and their damn doomsday prophecies! The nerve of them, calling themselves “The Three Emperors.” Bah! All they did was squander Yliaster's resources. Any competent hero could save the world _without_ having to destroy it. Still, at least their projects could be put to good use.

“I'm surprised you'd still follow me,” Celoso said to the spirit. “You're betraying your own kind.”

“ _I love your world_ ,” came his response. “ _and you are my master. It is my duty to protect you. To see your destiny through_.”

“Thank you,” Celoso said. He meant it.


	18. Family

They pulled up to Asuka's apartment building on Judai's D-Wheel. Yes, Judai's. In the week that had passed since Team 5D's reunion party, Judai had gotten to the level where Yusei decided he was ready to start practicing on a D-Wheel of his own. Yusei had spent the better part of four days rebuilding the generic one they bought from the dealer. It was built more like a traditional motorcycle than Yusei's, primarily black in color with gold highlights.

“I mean, it'd be boring if my suit, duel disk, and D-Wheel were _all_ red” he had said. “Besides, I think these colors are rather fitting.” Black and gold – the colors of the Supreme King.

Judai was still using Yusei's deck and duel disk to practice; Judai still hadn't finished his riding duel deck and Yusei was still working on adapting his duel disk to function on the D-Wheel. Apparently older generation duel disks were harder to work with.

They left their helmets with the bike after they dismounted. Judai took a look around the lot; Even if O'Brien hadn't already told him it was a surprise party, the sheer number of D-Wheels parked next to each other would have given it away. Still, Judai and Yusei agreed that it'd be best if he still _acted_ surprised when he showed up.

As it turned out, he didn't need to. The entire yell of “Surprise” was drowned out by Shou and Kenzan tackling him to the ground in tear-filled cries of “Aniki!” and “We missed you so much!” and “We're sorry we couldn't save you!” and other assorted incoherent babble. Yusei just stood next to him, chuckling despite Judai's muffled cries for help. In the end, O'Brien, Jim, and Manjoume had to pry the two off him.

“Sorry,” Shou said, sniffling. “It's just, we didn't think we'd ever see you again.”

Kenzan's sniffles joined in. “We're so happy you're back – saurus!”

“I missed you guys too.” Judai couldn't help but smile. Hell, he was having a hard time holding back the tears himself. “All of you.” He looked around the room; Ed leaned against the wall to his left, shaking his head at the display; Manjoume was berating Shou and Kenzan for their conduct; Jim and O'Brien were laughing at the whole thing; so was Asuka; Fubuki had started serving himself a glass of punch; actually, he was serving _Kaiser_ a glass of punch – seated in his wheelchair, Judai had barely seen him through the mass of his friends. And standing behind them all was Johan, the world's biggest smile plastered across his face. Aside from a few gray hairs and more defined cheekbones, they all looked the same as he remembered.

For the first time since Yusei had brought him back from Limbo, Judai actually felt at home.

“Well, I guess I should introduce you all,” he said as he stood up. “Everyone, this here is Yusei, my boyfriend.”

All eyes turned to man beside him. He raised a hand in greeting. “Good to-” he was cut off by Shou and Kenzan tackling him the floor with tear-filled cries of “Thank you!” and “You saved our aniki! How can we every repay you!?” Manjoume, Jim, and O'Brien set to work prying them off again. Judai just stood there and laughed.

***

“So your friend Luka can see spirits?” Johan asked over an empty plate of cake. Yusei simply nodded in response. “I'd love to meet her! Will she be at Manjoume's match?”

Yusei had to stop himself from saying, “you mean Jack's match?” So he just nodded his head again, this time accompanying the motion with a small noise in the affirmative.

Johan's smile somehow grew wider. “Great! Maybe I can even convince her to transfer to North Academy.”

“You'll have to convince Lua too,” Yusei said. “those two barely go anywhere alone.”

Yusei had had the chance to talk with most of Judai's friends. Kaiser and Ed weren't particularly sociable, and Fubuki seemed more interested in playing with Pharaoh than he was with getting acquainted. Shou and Kenzan couldn't stop thanking him whenever he tried to talk with them. Jim and O'Brien were interested in his fights against the Dark Signers and Yliaster, while Manjoume was more interested in his dueling skills. Really, Johan was the only one who seemed at all interested in Yusei's friends, so Johan was the one Yusei found himself talking with the most.

Judai was busy being pulled from one friend to another, each one telling him about everything they'd been up to the past twenty years.

In the end, talked turned to Celoso and Yliaster. Like Jack, Manjoume could take a couple of weeks' vacation once their match was over. Like Aki, Asuka and Johan were free for the three months until the school year started up again. Ed, Shou, and Kenzan weren't afforded such liberties, but at least they had another week before they had to be anywhere else. Since it was part of his job, O'Brien could stay in town until Celoso was stopped. And Jim … well Jim just said, “Don't worry about it!” Apparently, nobody knew what he actually did with his life.

And with that, no one was really sure where to pick up a new conversation. After two good minutes of awkward silence, Judai began throwing his jacket back on. “Well it's been fun,” he said. The smile he first had after Shou and Kenzan released their death-grip on him hadn't wavered once. “And I'm really glad I got to see you all again. But it's getting late, and Yusei and I should probably head home now.” The smile actually did waver at the dejected looks his friends bore. “But let's make sure we do this again sometime!”

Johan raised his glass. “I agree! I say we make this day our new annual get-together! All in favor say 'aye!'” The room raised their glasses in agreement. Judai picked up Pharaoh from his spot on Manjoume's lap and started moving towards the door.

“Wait!” came Jim's voice. Yusei and Judai turned around to see him filling up everyone's glasses with the last of the punch. “I say we end the evening on a high note – with one last toast!”

Shou and Kenzan raised their glasses. “Here's to Judai,” they said, trying not to start crying again. “Thank God he's back!”

“Here's to Yusei,” chimed in Asuka, “for bringing our friend back to us!”

“Here's to Tomorrow Girl!” Jim. “For planning and hosting this wonderful party!”

“And here's to Manjoume!” Judai's smile was bigger than it had been all night. “Let's see him kick some butt in three days!”

“Here here!” the room rang out. Jack didn't need to know Yusei participated in that last toast.

With that, the couple took their leave, cat in tow. Judai drove them back to the apartment without Yusei having to so much as remind him how to properly control his speed. Pharaoh jumped down from the D-Wheel and proceeded to walk back out the door. Yusei had stopped worrying about him at this point. He climbed off and watched Judai follow suit. Before he could say anything, Judai arms were around his waist as he buried his head in Yusei's right shoulder. Yusei smiled and returned the embrace.

They held each other for good minute before Judai spoke up. “Thank you,” he said into Yusei's shoulder. “Without you, I never would have seen them again.” Judai's arms tightened around him. “Thank you.”

“Of course,” Yusei said into Judai's hair. “Your friends mean so much to you. I don't think I've ever seen as happy as you were tonight.”

What happened next was something Yusei had not been expecting. Judai's hands slid just-a-little-lower, and he lifted his head until his lips were brushed against Yusei's ear. “The night's still young,” he whispered. Yusei felt goosebumps shiver onto his skin.

He certainly hadn't expected this. But as Judai's inexperienced hands began to awkwardly grope his ass, he realized he was more than willing to play along.


	19. The Storm

The sky was clear, the humidity was low, the crowd was going wild, and the combined group of Judai's friends and Team 5D's had front row seats. It was a good day for a duel.

Yusei sat on Judai's right; Shou, Kenzan, and Ed sat on his left, with Asuka, Fubuki, O'Brien and Jim one row behind them. To Yusei's right sat the twins, with Aki and Crow sitting to Asuka's right. The only person sitting with the “wrong” sub-group was Johan; he was already deep in conversation with Luka about duel spirits.

Introductions had gone well; just about everyone agreed they'd have to duel sometime. Still, there wasn't much talk between sub-groups besides Asuka and Aki discussing the latter's time in Germany, and Lua telling Judai about how Jack was going to “kick Manjoume's but into next Tuesday,” as the boy put it.

“Plus, if Jack gets out Red Nova Dragon,” Lua was leaning across Yusei's by this point, “even Thunder won't have any – It's starting!” The boy bounced back to his seat, hands balled up under his chin in excitement.

Smoke started surrounding the entrance to the track; the same track the WRPG had been held at, according to Yusei. The crowd grew louder as the announcer's voice filled the stadium.

“Presenting: The Platinum-League's dark horse, the former king of riding duels, and winner of the WRPG, Jack Atlas!”

Jack's _Wheel of Fortune_ shot threw the smoke, landing on the track as Jack lifted his right arm and forefinger towards the sky in his traditional salute. Lua nearly blew out Judai's ear drums with how loud he cheered; Yusei and Luka had had the sense to temporarily cover their ears.

“And now, the Prince of the Platinum-League, with more wins under his belt than any other duelist by far. You know him, you love him, he's: ONE!” the crowd joined in a chant Judai knew all too well. He was pretty sure he joined in too, but he couldn't hear his own voice above the roar. “TEN! HUNDRED! THOUSAND! MANJOUME THUNDER!”

Manjoume's D-Wheel burst onto the track to the sound of a thunderclap being played over the speakers. He pulled up alongside Jack at the starting line; Judai could only imagine the intense trash-talk they were throwing at each other. “Duelists!” The announcer came on. “READY!” The light moved from red to yellow. “SET!” Yellow to green. “DUEL!”

They were off. The speakers switched from the announcer's mike to the helmet radio of the two duelists as Manjoume made the opening move.

“I summon Ojama Green in defense mode!” The little green gremlin appeared on Manjoume's field, the screen displaying its 0 ATK and 1000 DEF. “I set two cards and end my turn.”

“Such a meager defense is pointless against me!” came Jack's taunting. “Draw! I summon Mad Archfiend!” A rather frightening monster with wild red hair, long claws and skulls on its shoulders sprung to life on Jack's field. “Battle!” The monster flew towards Ojama Green with an ominous growl. “Mad Archfiend deals piercing damage to defense position monsters!”

Manjoume grunted and his bike swerved as his life points dropped to 3200. “Draw!” he yelled. “I activate my continuous trap: DNA Autopsy!” One of Manjoume's reversed cards flipped face-up. “As long as this trap is on the field, every monster in both our graveyards is treated as the type I declare. I declare Dragon-type! Now show yourself: Axe Dragonute!” A dragon emerged on Manjoume's field; it was clad in black armor and held a twin-bladed axe in its claws.

Now that was new. In fact, now that Judai gave it a better look, Manjoume's bike seemed to be modeled in the shape of a western dragon with white scales; it did go nicely with his black riding outfit. Still, this was a very different deck from the one he remembered. Manjoume had certainly gotten stronger in these twenty years. He wouldn't fall behind; he'd have his own riding deck finished soon; having Manjoume be its first opponent just seemed right.

“Reverse card open!” Manjoume shouted. “Castle of Dragon Souls! This continuous trap lets me banish one dragon-type monster in my graveyard to increase the ATK of one dragon-type monster on my field by 700! Attack!” The dragon rushed Jack's monster, axe ready to strike.

“A wasted effort!” came Jack's voice. “Whenever Mad Archfiend is attacked, it's switched to defense position!” Jack's monster raised its arms in guard just before the dragon's axe cleaved it in two; Jack's life points remained unharmed.

Manjoume scoffed in annoyance. “After it attacks, Axe Dragonute switches to defense position. I set one card and end my turn.”

Judai's blood was boiling. Manjoume and Jack were both amazing duelists; he honestly had no idea who was going to win. All he did know was that this was something he needed to experience. Even if he couldn't use half his deck, he knew he had to duel like this at least once. Jack began his turn, and Judai was faintly aware that he grabbed Yusei's hand in excitement.

Celoso was the furthest thing from his mind.

***

Jack was good, if the past ten turns were anything to go by. Really good. There were only a few duelists capable of demolishing an opponent's defense so thoroughly. Of course, that only meant Manjoume finally had an opponent worth defeating. The dragon thought so too; he could feel it clawing at the top of his deck, itching to be summoned. It didn't talk to him much. Thank God for that, the Ojamas were enough of a headache. Jack's attack brought his attention back to the field.

“Go, Power Invader!” The hulking alien moved to strike at Manjoume's Lancer Lindwurm, his last defending monster. The attack went through, and though he grunted through the loss of another 400 life points, Manjoume cracked a smile.

“Reverse card open! Return from the Different Dimension! Come on out, you trash!” Jack had fallen for his trap; he'd used his combination of DNA Autopsy and Castle of Dragon Souls to banish all five members of the Ojama family, and now he was bringing them back. Five ugly gremlins appeared on his field – the Ojamas Yellow, Black, Green, Blue, and Red. And the first thing they did was start talking his ear off.

“Heya aniki!” Yellow.

“We're ready to show this guy aniki!” Black and Green.

“The power of our family!” Red.

“Yeah, all six of-” He didn't let Blue finish.

“Shut it!” he yelled through gritted teeth. Hopefully the radio offered enough interference that it just sounded like generic growling. “I am _not_ part of your extended family!”

“C'mon aniki!” came Yellow's voice. “There's no need to be shy, we're all-”

“I activate Ojamakaze!” Manjoume's remaining face-down card flipped up. “When I have all five Ojamas on the field, I can destroy all monsters on both our fields!” The Ojamas began throwing themselves onto Jack's field, blowing up and scattering his monsters into ashes. “In addition, I can normal summon a high-level monster without tributing on my next turn, but only if I give up that turn's battle phase.”

Jack scoffed in response. “I set one card face down and end my turn.”

“I draw!” Manjoume didn't need to look at the card to know what it was; the roaring in his head told him who it was. “I use the effect of Ojamakaze! Now witness as the veil separating Light from Darkness is rent asunder! I summon Light and Darkness Dragon!”

Here it was, the twin-tailed dragon; its right side was a brilliant white, it's left a deep black. When it found him ten years ago, and its pride resonated with Manjoume's, he threw everything he had into surpassing who he had once been. And he had. He'd completely overhauled his deck, found the Ojama brothers' just-as-ugly-and-annoying-cousins, and crawled from the bottom of the old pro-league to one of its top contenders. When the Platinum-League was established three years ago, they'd fought tooth-and-nail against every foe that stood in their way. He suffered loses, refined his deck, and pulled himself to the point where he was the number-one contender for the title of “Duel King.”

It was the only way had known to honor Judai's memory.

Now Judai was back, and he'd be damned if he let Judai see him lose after he issued that challenge! “Due to Ojamakaze's effect, I can't battle, so I end my turn.”

Manjoume looked over his shoulder. Jack was eyeing Light and Darkness Dragon with the first ounce of respect the man had shown all day. He turned to the stands, spotted Judai, and gave his old rival a look that said “you're next” as he zoomed passed. Judai better have seen it.

“I draw!” Jack began his turn. “I activate Vice Dragon's effect! When you control a monster and I control none, I can special summon it with its ATK and DEF halved!”

“Wrong! Light and Darkness's effect: Once per chain, it loses 500 ATK to negate your card effects!” And like so many before him, Jack had-

“Reverse card open!” Jack called out. “I chain Powerful Rebirth to Light and Darkness's effect! I summon Mad Archfiend from my graveyard!” That red-haired monster returned to the field. Its ATK was still lower than Light and Darkness's, but Jack wasn't a fool. In fact, Manjoume had a pretty good idea of what was coming. “Now I summon the tuner monster Dark Resonator!” A dark imp appeared on Jack's field; it was a lvl 3 tuner, and Mad Archfiend was now lvl 5 thanks to Powerful Rebirth's effect. “Now I tune my two monsters! The king's heartbeat now pulses through here! Behold its creation-shaking power! Synchro Summon! My very soul! Red Dragon Archfiend!”

There it was – Jack's own ace. This was bad; it had 700 ATK on Light and Darkness, and Manjoume was down to 1600 life points. It roared in challenge, its card spirit ready to battle. And despite its disadvantage, Light and Darkness roared back. _Come if you dare!_ The dragon's voice echoed in Manjoume's head. _It shall be your doom!_

“Did you really think I'd fall for the same trick you use to beat the rank-and-file?” Jack was gaining on him now; they were almost neck-and-neck. “Your dragon's ability is certainly impressive, but it's a double-edged sword. It automatically negates any card effect to increase its own ATK, and so it can't stand up to any monster with greater ATK. Its resurrection ability is also rather troublesome, but even at full strength it can't stand up to Red Dragon Archfiend.” Did this guy ever stop bragging? “Now I'll activate the effect of Speed World 2! I remove four speed counters to deal you 800 points of damage!” Jack pulled ahead as Manjoume's life points were cut in half. “Go, Red Dragon Archfiend! Attack!”

The red dragon struck at Light and Darkness with its claws, slaying the beast and taking most of Manjoume's remaining life points with it. The crowd was in a frenzy, and Manjoume was vaguely aware of the announcer's voice saying something about thrones. Having only 100 life points didn't fill him with a lot of hope, but who needed hope when you had skill?

“Light and Darkness's second effect!” Manjoume cried out. “When it's destroyed, I special summon one monster from my graveyard! You're good, Jack Atlas! Better than anyone else I've faced in the Platinum-League! But you're about to see the difference between us!” This was it, the monster he'd sent to the graveyard back when he used Depth Amulet to defend against Jack's earlier onslaught. His final Ace. “Come forth, the final evolution of my past! Metaphys Armed Dragon!”

A mighty roar filled the stadium as the ghost of Armed Dragon LV7 took to the field. His Armed Dragon archetype had been too heavily reliant on support cards that couldn't be used in riding duels. Judai was probably facing a similar crisis to the one Manjoume went through eleven years ago, back when riding duels were finally overtaking traditional duels in the pro-leagues. Manjoume hoped that his rival would find as powerful a solution as he had, otherwise defeating him would be meaningless.

Jack ended his turn with a curse. Manjoume smiled. Jack was down to 1800 life points. Manjoume had three speed counters left, so on his next turn he'd be able to use Speed World 2's effect to deal 800 damage to his opponent. Combine that with the battle damage he'd be able to inflict this turn, and Jack would be just as on the ropes as he was. More so, even, since he wouldn't have his ace anymore. And there was no way Manjoume would let him keep enough tuners on the field to summon that advanced version Jack used during the WRPG.

“I draw! I use the effect of Castle of Dragon Souls to banish Lancer Lindwurm from my graveyard and increase Armed Dragon's ATK by 700!” The announcer was back on again, but Manjoume didn't care enough to listen. He needed to focus; one wrong move and he'd be dead. Luckily, Jack didn't have any set cards on his field. “Feel my full fury! Attack, Metaphys Armed Dragon! Phantom Armed Punisher!” Armed Dragon's drill-claws ripped into Red Dragon Archfiend, and Jack's ace was destroyed. Manjoume used the opportunity to pass him.

“I draw!” Jack was angry. Manjoume didn't even need to look at him to tell. “I summon Clock Resonator in defense position!” A humanoid made out of stone took up a defensive posture on Jack's field. “I set one card and-”

Before Jack could finish, something weird happened. His monster – no – both their monsters were flickering. Then they disappeared, along with all the other holograms across the dueling field. Manjoume looked around; the big screens had all gone black, and if he squinted it looked like the lights in the hallways of the stadium had gone out too. Given that he couldn't hear the announcer losing his mind over this new development …

“A black out.” Jack confirmed his suspicions. “That can only mean something's gone wrong with momentum. Yusei's probably already halfway to that lab of his; I say we join him.”

Manjoume nodded. No sense wasting time sitting around here. As the two duelists drove their D-Wheels out the exit, the Ojama family crowded around Manjoume's head.

“Hey, aniki,” Ojama Yellow spoke up, as timid as ever, “do you think the world's in danger again?”

“I'd bet my life on it.”


	20. When It Rains It Pours

Momentum. Something was wrong with momentum. It was the only explanation. But what had caused it? Jack and Manjoume's duel had been intense, sure, but it wasn't nearly enough to force Fortune to shut down the generator. These thoughts ran through Yusei's head as he ran through the stadium's halls, Judai and their friends hot on his heels. He had to get to the lab, vacation be damned! He was on his D-Wheel in three minutes; Judai hopped on behind him.

“O'Brien just called!” Judai yelled over the wind as they took off. O'Brien had left the group about half-way through the duel to answer a phone call and hadn't come back before the black out. “He says the police just tried to arrest Celoso in Tokyo!” Damn it! “He says that he doesn't know much else, the people on the other end started panicking around the same time as the black out.”

Yusei used his D-Wheel's communication feature to call the lab. If O'Brien could call Judai, that meant cell towers were still working at least. “Yukimaru?” If his lab team had a second-in-command, Yukimaru was it. Damn good engineer. “It's me. Get the backup gen-” Yukimaru told him he already had. “Good. Do your best to figure out what happened, but don't try to start momentum up again until I'm there. Something very bad's happening and I'm not taking any chances.”

It took ten minutes to drive to lab, which was eleven minutes too many. He wasted more time yelling at security for trying to stop Judai and their friends from entering. Luckily, momentum was still shut down when he finally got into the lab. Most of the team was huddled around two computers.

“Dr. Fudo,” Yukimaru was quick to approach him once he looked up. “We think we've … who are they?”

Yusei didn't bother turning around. “That doesn't matter right now. I need to know what happened with momentum.”

Yukimaru took another glance at the entourage before continuing. “Well, it started about an hour ago. Momentum started spinning faster than usual. At first it was just a little, we assumed there was an above-average number of duels occurring across the connected cities. But it didn't stop. The weird thing was, we weren't seeing any increase in power output. Not to the city, at least. We think-

“It was being siphoned,” Yusei finished. “Let me guess, you've traced it to somewhere in Tokyo?”

Yukimaru blinked a few times. “Why, yes. Yes we did. We're not sure how, but we suspect someone tapped into Tokyo's momentum link and used a particularly powerful card, or cards, to as 'bait' to draw momentum's energy to them.”

“Celoso,” Judai growled behind him. Yukimaru took another uncertain look at the man before turning back to Yusei.

“Dr. Fudo, we won't be able to look into this anymore if momentum stays down. Permission to start it up again?”

“Go ahead. The more we know the better, and the city needs power asap. I'll be monitoring it personally.” Yusei took a seat at the main computer, pulling up Fortune and running its self-diagnostic program to learn how it handled the situation. Judai leaned over his shoulder, to watch. Yusei took a quick glance behind him; the rest of the group was standing rather awkwardly, trying their best not to get in the way as Yusei's lab team started moving about to get momentum up and running again.

“Dr. Fudo?” Yusei turned to see one of the newer hires clutching her clipboard rather nervously.

“Yes, Sana? What is it?” He ignored Judai's hand tightening on his shoulder.

“Well, it's just,” she paused to check that none of her co-workers were listening, “during the last minute before momentum shut down, we started seeing these odd spikes in power. Yukimaru says it's nothing, just random power fluctuations, but I'm certain that there was a pattern there.” She held the clipboard toward him.

“Thank you for telling me this.” He took the clipboard from her. “The more I know, the better.” She nodded and moved to join her colleagues. Judai's grip relaxed.

Sana was right. There was definitely some pattern here; the gaps between spikes were to regular for them to be random, the fact that the spikes came in exactly two amplitudes, the fact that they didn't follow each other the way an oscillating system would indicate all implied something. In fact, it almost looked like-

“Dr. Fudo.” Jaeger's entrance broke his thought process. Yusei turned to see the small governor walk through the doors, Mikage, O'Brien, Jack, and Manjoume behind him. “And Mr. Yuki, I presume.” He extended his hand in greeting. Judai shook it awkwardly. “Allow me to catch you up to speed.

“Twenty-four hours ago, I received confirmation that Noche Celoso was holed up in Tokyo. I dispatched Ushio to the city to assist their police department in the manhunt. Three hours ago, they pinned down his location to an old Kaiba-Corp R&D facility. And just half an hour ago, they were given the order to storm the building.”

“Industrial Illusion's espionage network didn't learn about this until the police started mobilizing en masse.” O'Brien added. He wasn't looking anyone in the eye. “I should have been leading the investigation myself.”

“Perhaps it's good that you weren't.” Mikage now. “We haven't heard back from the police force yet, and the report from your spies seems to suggest the worst.” The whir of momentum coming back to life interrupted anything else she had to add. Especially since it was accompanied by alerts ringing out from Mikage's PA.

“-ello? I-zzzt-amn thing-zzzt-read me?” Even through the static, Yusei would never forget that voice.

“Ushio!” And neither did Mikage. “Thank God! We can't make you out right now, just hold on a second.” What little they could hear from him made it obvious Ushio had understood her message as well as they had understood his. Yusei moved to take the PA from her.

“If we hook it up to the lab's computers, we should be able to use the cable signals to get a clearer message through.” Yusei began doing just that. “Although I don't know why he isn't just calling us on a cell phone.”

“Dr. Fudo?”

“Not right now, Sana,” this was too important to put off for even a second. “I'm sure Yukimaru can handle whatever it is.”

It took him a minute too long to get the PA connect and to match the right frequency for a clearer signal. The fact that Tokyo was probably just getting momentum's power back probably helped. The signal wasn't crystal clear, but it was understandable.

“About damn time!” Static did not flatter Ushio's voice at all. “Here's the short version: The bastard was siphoning momentum's energy through Tokyo's connection to Neo Domino; that's how we traced his location. But when we moved to storm the place, it lit up like a New Year's fireworks show and disappeared. The whole building just fucking vanished!”

“Was anyone hurt?” Jaeger and O'Brien did not sound good talking in stereo.

“We've got a few injured from proximity, but no major injuries. Luckily, no one was in the damn building when it went AWOL. I would have called sooner, but it fried most of our electronics; I've only just got my D-Wheel's com system up and running again.” Well that explained it; D-Wheels are built to tap into momentum's energy, even if it isn't their primary power source.

“Is there anything else you can tell us?” Just Jaeger this time.

“I'm afraid not, governor. We're still trying to get ourselves reorganized. I'll call back if anything else turns up.” And the static cut out.

“They're in the spirit world.” Judai's fists were clenched hard enough that his knuckles were going white, and he sounded for all the world like he was trying not to grit his teeth. “It's like what Yubel did to Duel Academy. There's no telling which dimension he's even in.”

Most of the group fell silent. Luka started worriedly talking with Kuribon, the rest of Team 5D's looked awestruck, and Judai's friends had the distant gazes of war veterans. Yusei tried putting a hand on Judai's shoulder; the older man didn't relax in the slightest. Yusei didn't blame him; how in hell were they supposed to stop Celoso if he had fled beyond their reach?

“Um, Dr. Fudo?” Sana had actually walked back up to him this time. She still looked nervous. “Those power spikes I saw before are back.”

“What?” Yusei bolted to her computer. There they were, those same odd spikes in momentum's output. It didn't seem to be having any negative affects at the moment. In fact, as Yusei did a quick once-over of the lab, nothing was out of the ordinary. Whatever was causing these spikes had nothing to do with them. And Yusei was still sure there was a pattern to them. Was it Celoso? Was his building still connected to momentum somehow? Could they use that to-

“Morse Code.” O'Brien was looking at the screen over Yusei's shoulder.

Of course! Yusei wanted to slap himself in the face for missing something so obvious. The larger spikes were like the dashes of traditional Morse Code, while the smaller spikes were the dots.

“Connect energy to audio dev.” O'Brien read the message. “Set Freq. 200, wavelength 30.”

“Excuse me?” came Yukimaru's voice. “You're saying that someone is using the city's power source to talk to us? And that they expect us to hook it up to cell phone or something? You're out of your mind.”

O'Brien ignored him, turning to Judai. “You're right. This is exactly like the incident in the Desert World. I'd bet anything that it's Misawa trying to communicate with us the same way Dr. Zweinstein did.”

Momentum wasn't designed to be a communication device, but the lab team was motivated by the name-dropping of Zweinstein; most of them had studied his work to get their degrees. It took half an hour too long, but they eventually managed a set up that got Misawa's voice through, albeit with even more static than Ushio's message had.

“Celoso's here,” was the first thing Misawa said after pleasantries were exchanged. “I don't know how, but he's transported an entire building into this dimension, and he's sent out a small army of androids to lay waste to everything around him. His forces aren't showing any mercy to the spirits living here.”

Yusei felt every muscle in his body go tense. Ghosts. Yliaster still had Ghosts left! He didn't need to look behind him to know the rest of Team 5D's was reacting the same way.

“Luckily,” Misawa continued, “I believe you'll be able to travel here in much the same fashion as Celoso did. Judai?”

Judai leaned in closer to the computer when he responded. “Yes?”

“You have Yubel's powers, right? That means you should be able to use this momentum power to travel between dimensions the same way they teleported Duel Academy. Or rather, you should be able to mimic the smaller portal that brought us to the Dark World after Duel Academy returned. We'll be waiting for you.”

“Wait! Misawa!” Judai's calls were only answered with static. The older man just stood there for a minute, figures tightening around the desk's edge. When he finally raised his head, his eyes were almost lost. He looked at Yusei, at their friends. He looked … scared. With that realization, Yusei knew exactly what Judai was about to say. “Everyone-”

Yusei wouldn't let him say it. “Don't even think of saying you'll do this alone. If you do, you'll be sleeping on the couch for a month.”

Judai just looked at him with those scared eyes. “But Yusei-”

“No buts. I don't care if you think this is your mistake to clean up. We've been fighting Yliaster just as much as you did. More, even. So this is our fight just as much as it is yours.”

“But,” the older man's eyes fell, “even if we all make it out, I don't think I'll have enough power to bring a group this big back to the real world. It's easy for me because I'm part duel spirit, but-”

“Didn't you hear your boyfriend?” Manjoume's was as loud, annoyed, and prideful as Yusei had seen in Judai's memories. “This isn't just your fight. Celoso took you from us, and there's no way any of us will let that slide.” Manjoume turned to address the rest of his friends. “Judai's worried that if we go back to the other world with him, we'll end up dying again. But we're not children anymore! We've all grown stronger! Much stronger! Besides, could we really call ourselves duelists if we left all of this to the new kids!? Who's with me!?” The group responded with various shouts and nods of the affirmative.

Judai stared at them, and his eyes began to water. “You guys.”

O'Brien put a hand on Judai's shoulder. “We'll make it through, Judai,” he said. “But this time, how about you follow my strategies?”

***

They ended up regrouping at Yusei's apartment; he needed to make Judai's D-Wheels more receptive to momentum's energy if they wanted to make this work. And so Judai found himself alone with the younger man, arms crossed and leaning against the wall as his friends readied themselves outside. He watched Yusei make the final adjustments to the black D-Wheel that filled one of the empty spaces in the apartment's garage. The _Dark Chariot_ : that's what Judai had called it. A reminder. Even if he hadn't wanted this, it seemed fitting that its first real duel would be in another war zone.

_It's our lot in life._ Yubel's voice rang through his head. He closed his eyes and gave a half nod. _Let's just hope we get another few years of the quiet life before the next crisis shows up. Maybe even a few decades, if we're lucky_. Judai nodded again, letting his eyes open when he heard Yusei stand up.

“It's ready,” Yusei said. Judai could tell by his face that he wasn't happy with how much time this had taken. “With this stronger connection, you should have clear access to momentum. Let's just hope it doesn't cause another blackout.”

“Yeah.” Judai tried walking up to his new bike, but he was stopped by Yusei's hand on his shoulder. When he turned to see what was wrong, he found Yusei's lips pressing against his own. Right – this is what couples did in times like this, wasn't it? He relaxed into the kiss.

“Hey,” Yusei said when they broke apart, “We're going to win this.”

The look on his face was pure determination. God himself could try telling Yusei that he was wrong and it wouldn't waiver him one bit. It was the same look he held on his face when they dueled Paradox all those years ago. And just like then, Judai couldn't help the smile he felt tugging at his lips. He gave a sharp nod in reply. Yusei was right; they would win.

_You just watch his back out there_ , came Yubel's voice as he mounted the bike. _If our new boyfriend comes out of this with so much as a bruise, I'll never forgive you._ Judai felt his smile widen.

He turned the D-Wheel on, revved the engine, and was just about to hit the gas when he heard a faint “meow” from behind him. He didn't know why he was surprised to see Pharaoh sitting behind him, but he was.

“ _You're free to try to talk us out of coming, Judai-kun._ ” Daitokuji-sensei's voice emanated from the cat. “ _But Pharaoh's the one you'll have to convince. And he seems to have taken a liking to his current seating arrangement._ ”

Judai just shook his head. He was long past that point. He and Yusei shot out of the garage, quickly followed by the rest of their group. Judai looked from one face to another. Everyone that noticed him doing so gave him a smirk or a thumbs up. Or both. Thank God they were here.

It seemed Jaeger had managed to keep his word; the streets had been cleared to give them plenty of room to accelerate and draw out more of momentum's energy. Speaking of, Judai could feel it building up in the machine beneath him. Like the wheels themselves were pulling ever so slightly on the threads of reality. And now came the hard part. He waited until they reached the Daedalus Bridge; it was the longest straight-away the city had to offer. He closed his eyes, focusing on those threads, on the pure energy that they held. He had to be precise with this portal; too big and there's no telling who or what he'd bring with them. Too small and he'd leave some people behind. Maybe everyone. If that happened, he'd be alone again.

_Focus on the group._ Yubel's voice was as calm and reassuring as it had been when they fought Darkness. _I'll focus on the destination._

So he did. He focused on taking each thread of reality spinning in his wheels. He focused on finding Yusei, Manjoume, Jack, Shou, Asuka, Edo, O'Brien, Jim, Kenzan, Crow, Fubuki, Aki, Lua, Luka. He focused on tying those threads of his to them, on feeling their heartbeats in time with his, on never letting them go. And when he opened his eyes again, the bridge was replaced by a glowing white void.

Without hesitation, they drove into it.


	21. Once More unto the Breach

This was the same forest dimension he and Celoso had first fought in. Judai was certain of that much. He threw his head to look behind him; everyone had made it. He stopped holding his breath. The thread of energy connected to his D-Wheel had all but faded, and he had no idea if the remaining threads were tied to Misawa, Celoso, or some random location in this world. Well, it wasn't like they could go back.

It didn't take them long to find trouble. As the group weaved past the final patch of trees, the clearing showed a small group of spirits being run down by a star-white figure on an equally bright D-Wheel. One of the “Ghosts” no doubt. Most of the spirits were normal monsters, unable to do anything against the android's attack, and the few with effects were being outmaneuvered by their enemy's speed and maneuverability. Judai wouldn't stand for it.

“I draw!” And neither would Yusei. “I activate the speed spell Summon Close! By discarding one card, I draw another!”

A card that required 4+ speed counters on his first turn? Judai double-checked his D-Wheel's readout. Apparently, they'd been gaining speed counters ever since they entered this world. Judai felt a cocky grin on his face. Every time he thought he'd figured the spirit worlds out, they showed him something new.

“I summon Junk Synchron! When he's summoned to the field, I can special summon a level two or lower monster from my graveyard! Sprint on in, Speed Warrior!” Two rather small and unassuming monsters appeared on Yusei's field – one orange, one gray. And from what Judai remembered about Yusei's deck, the orange one was a tuner. “Gathering stars will call upon a new force! Become the path its light shines upon! Synchro Summon! Show yourself, Junk Warrior!” The two monsters merged together in rings of green light, and Yusei's headliner took their place. “Attack!” The scarf-clad warrior propelled its over-sized right fist toward the enemy's monster; a spellcaster known as The Tricky. It shattered as Junk Warrior's struck, the enemy's life points dropping down by 300.

The android's face contorted in panic, and it quickly maneuvered its D-Wheel to speed away, setting a monster as it did so. In fact, it looked like its hand was empty; it had probably wasted most of its cards attacking the defenseless.

“We can't let it get away!” O'Brien called out from behind him. It didn't really matter, both he and Yusei were already in hot pursuit. “If it escapes, it'll let the enemy know our position, and we'll lose the advantage of surprise!”

Judai got close enough to enter the duel. “Draw!” he called as he took stock of his opening hand. Time to see what his new deck could do. “I send Elemental Hero Avian from my hand to the graveyard to special summon Cosmo Brain from my hand!” A humanoid alien with a twisting staff and a robe of red ribbons appeared on his field. “Cosmo Brain's effect! I can send one effect monster on my field to the graveyard to special summon a high-level normal monster from my deck! Come forth, Neos!” The alien vanished as his white-spandexed hero took the field, eyes fired up for battle. “And now I normal summon Grand Mole! Contact Fusion!” The mole and the warrior flew into the sky, and descended in their merged form. “Grand Neos's effect activates! I can return one monster from your field to your hand!” The android's face grew even more panicked. “Grand Neos: direct attack!” The brown-armored warrior thrust its drill at android, who nearly crashed as another 2500 life points were taken. It didn't survive Yusei's next attack.

“We need to find Misawa!” O'Brien called once the enemy was a smoldering pile of debris. “Until we do, we'll be hunting blind!”

Right. Judai closed his eyes, trusting Yubel to warn him if he was about to crash into anything. He had to center himself. He had to focus on those threads, and believe that Misawa was who they were tied to. His eyes opened heterochromatic, as orange and teal irises sought out their path. His faith paid off, they found Misawa after another ten minutes of driving and the destruction of another android.

***

“As you can see,” Misawa gestured with his arm, “Celoso's making no effort to hide himself.”

After joining up with their group, Misawa and Tania had led them to the top of a plateau overlooking a vast grassland, disturbed only by the Ghost androids setting the land ablaze, and the large skyscraper about a mile up ahead.

Judai's face tightened with loathing; his eyes began taking on a golden hew. To see a man who held such a rare gift abuse it to this extreme – it struck too close to home. Yusei's gloved hand slipped into his; Judai squeezed it and forced himself to relax. This was the time for calm, strategic thinking; going in guns blazing would only be history repeating itself. One deep breath later and he asked the married couple what they were up against.

“From what our little prisoner told us,” Tania began. “They have somewhere between fifty and a hundred androids down there. The good news is that it took every resource Yliaster had left to build them; we crush them here, and the cult dies.”

“But cults are like worms,” Misawa added, “While gutting the body, we must also split the head, lest it regrow that which we have severed.” A rather disgusting metaphor, but an apt one; they couldn't let Celoso escape.

O'Brien stepped to the front of the group. “What other forces does the enemy have at their disposal?”

“From what we can tell,” Tania answered, “the androids are moving in four battalions, with only a few detaching to chase after lone spirits. Misawa's convinced this means each battalion is controlled by a separate individual; we should assume each of them is a powerful duelist themselves.”

O'Brien nodded. “From what Judai has told me, Celoso doesn't seem like the kind of man to sit back and let his underlings do all the work. No doubt, he's one of the four.” The muscular man turned to address the rest of them. “That means we need to split into five units: one to fight against the android army, and one for each of their commanders.”

“Sign me up to fight one of them!” Crow's voice was a familiar mixture of anger and excitement.

Jack scoffed. “Naturally I'll be dueling one as well,” he said.

“I'll fight the androids!” Johan looked like he was about to burst. “I can't stand to see the spirits suffer like that!”

“Me too!” shouted Luka.

“I'm going with Luka!” Lua

“Wait! Wait!” O'Brien had raised his hands in an attempt to keep order before everyone charged ahead. “We need to be very strategic about this. A single mistake could cost someone their life!” That got the group to calm down, though Judai found himself squeezing Yusei's hand again as O'Brien's words only further brought up memories of the Dark World. “First things first: There's no reason for us to fight fair here; no one person duels a commander alone. Teaming up will drastically reduce our odds of a loss.” He turned to look Judai in the eye. “Of course, we'll be sending our tow strongest duelists against Celoso, though I doubt I could convince you not to face him if I tried. Now we have to decide on the remaining three.”

“Tania and I lack D-Wheels,” Misawa pointed out. “We'll be useless against the android army, but we won't lose as a team.”

O'Brien nodded his agreement. “I don't want the children out in that free-for-all either. And before either of you start telling me how strong you are,” Lua was already halfway through just such a protest, “I don't want it to be just the two of you.”

“I'm their teacher,” Asuka took a meaningful step forward. “I'm dueling with them.”

“So am I.” Jack this time, surprisingly. Judai had him pegged as more of a lone wolf type. “We’ve dueled together before, and I'd die before I let them come to harm.”

O'Brien shook his head. “You're one of our strongest hitters. We'll need you in a separate group if we'll be using our resources to the maximum.” Jack opened his mouth to protest, but O'Brien cut him off, “But you're right; we should have at least one more duelist fight with the twins. For safety.'

Aki had stepped forward during that last part. “I'll go,” she said. “Lua and Luka are like my siblings, and Asuka-sensei is my teacher too. It's only right that we protect each other.” No one objected.

“Very good. Now Manjoume-”

“No.” the duelist in question cut him off. “This guy's been freeloading off me this whole ride.” Manjoume jabbed his thumb back at Edo, who just turned his nose up at in response. “Send him to duel with the wannabe-king.”

“You and Jack have just gotten a good look at each other's decks,” O'Brien did his best to talk over Jack's indignation. “You two should be able to work well together.” He actually managed to look like he meant it. “Besides, I was planning on sending Edo to duel alongside Misawa and Tania.”

“ _No need_ ,” came a familiar lofty voice.

The group turned with various looks of surprise towards Judai's D-Wheel; they saw Daitokuji's soul floating down into one of its storage compartments. After a flash of light, Judai's old teacher stood before them in the flesh, deck in hand, and the dark item that brought Abidos III back to life settled on his head. Had Pharaoh put those in there? When?

“I lack a D-Wheel as well.” It was odd hearing his voice coming from a living body. “But my alchemical skills should allow me to fashion a working duel disk from the surrounding materials in no time. I will duel alongside Misawa-kun and Tania.”

“Well there you have it,” Manjoume had already started strutting back to his D-Wheel. “Edo and Jack can team up, while Johan and I lead the charge to save the spirits.” He wouldn't admit it, but Manjoume was just as offended by what the androids were doing as Judai and Johan were. Sometimes Judai actually forgot how much of a softy his rival was under all that bravado.

O'Brien just slumped his shoulders and sighed. “Okay then, we have our attack plan. Edo will have to ride with Jack, Misawa with Asuka, Tania with Yusei, and Daitokuji with Judai. Your groups need to give the rest of us about five minutes to clear you a path to their headquarters.” Everyone in question gave a firm nod of their heads. “Good. Now let's move out.”

“Everyone.” Judai actually jumped a little; Yusei had been so quiet up to this point. “We don't all know each other well, but from this moment on, we're comrades. Friends. All of us. Both of our groups have saved the world in the past, so there's nothing we can't do together.” Yusei raised his unoccupied hand in the air. “Let's put Yliaster down for good!”

A small cheer went around their combined group, and Judai found himself smiling again. They were going to win.

A minute later, just as the first group was about to take off, Jim called back, “Hey, Tomorrow Girl!” Asuka turned from whatever pep talk she was giving the twins, a look of mild annoyance across her face. “Take Karen with you!” Jim removed the bandages that had been covering the crocodile in question, and she dropped to the ground.

Most of Team 5D's gave startled sounds at this. Crow was the first to find his voice. “Is that an alligator!?” He yelled. “Like, a real-life alligator?”

“She's a crocodile!” Jim seemed almost offended. But it was Jim, so he kept a smile on his face anyway. “And she's a friend.” He turned to Karen while pointing at the twins. “Karen, those two are my new friends. Protect them okay?”

Karen gave a small crocodile noise in response and moved to take up a position by the twins. While Lua seemed curious, Luka started to shy away until Asuka started telling her that Karen was someone they could trust. Judai turned back to Jim and raised an eyebrow.

“It's okay,” Jim gave him a thumbs-up. “Crocodiles can run as fast as some cars on land, and Karen's even faster than your average crocodile. She'll keep up.”

He felt Daitokuji shift behind him. “Go with them too, Pharaoh. Ride on Karen's back and keep the children safe.” The cat jumped down to obey its master's orders. Judai felt his chest lighten a bit. It was good to know he wouldn't have to worry about the twins' safety.

***

“Cool!” Lua shouted from behind as their group raced towards the skyscraper. Judai turned his head around to see Karen crushing an android's head in her jaws while Pharaoh clawed out the eyes of another.

Judai turned his attention back to the path ahead. Johan's Rainbow Dragon and Shou's Cyberdark Dragon were keeping the androids from closing the gap ahead of them, but it seemed like their friends were too spread-out to stop attacks from the rear. He resisted the urge to summon his own monsters; he'd be no good against Celoso if he wore himself out here. Besides, he needed to believe in his friends.

His small band finally made it past that last quarter mile and came to a stop by the skyscraper's main entrance. Daitokuji, Tania, and Misawa all jumped off to intercept the white-robed man standing in the lobby.

“How rude,” the man said. “You didn't even let me greet you properly.”

“Niceties have no place in war,” Tania retorted. “Now stand aside or duel.”

“The latter, naturally,” he said as the four activated their duel disks. As Judai, Yusei and the rest ran past them, the hooded man called out, “I'd take the elevator if I were you. El Noche has rendered all other manners of ascension unusable.”

Judai got the feeling this was one of those spring-the-trap scenarios, and so their still large group funneled into the only elevator that was still functional. Three buttons were already lit up, and the elevator moved without their input. Judai reached for Yusei's hand again.

Three floors higher and the elevator opened to reveal a bald woman whose body was covered in cybernetics, complete with an infinity-shaped light over her left eye. Judai felt Yusei's hand tighten around his as they watched Asuka, Aki, the twins, Karen, and Pharaoh all rush out to meet her.

“My my,” she said, bringing her hand to her chest. “Such a large force against little old me? I'm honored.” With that, she activated her duel disk and the elevator door shut.

“Yusei,” Jack almost whispered after they started moving again.

“I know,” Yusei responded. His face was hard, his eyes angry. His hand was gripping Judai's so tightly it almost hurt. “She looked like Placido.” Placido – Judai had heard that name before. Wasn't that one of those Three Emperors of Yliaster? The ones that were actually androids from the future? “That must be how they're controlling the Ghosts. I bet the other guy looked exactly the same under those robes of his.”

The door opened and another woman stood before them. This one had long black hair, and wore the same robes as the man in the lobby, but with the hood down to reveal the cybernetics and infinity-symbol glowing across her face. Silently, she activated her duel disk as Jack and Edo moved to challenge her.

“I'll show you how a true Pro duels.” Edo was talking more to Jack than the woman. Jack just scoffed, and the door closed before Judai could see what followed.

The elevator moved up, floor by floor, approaching the roof. Judai squeezed Yusei's hand back as he steeled himself for the coming duel. He closed his eyes, took a few deep breaths, and then opened them, their heterochromatic colors a sign of the power he was bringing to bear against his foe.

“Judai,” Yusei whispered beside him. Judai turned to look at him, only to be knocked off guard as Yusei's lips pressed against his own, their hands squeezing each other even tighter. Judai felt himself close his eyes, felt them return to normal as he relaxed into the kiss. A moment later and Yusei pulled back, resting his forehead on Judai's. “Let's finish this.” Judai gave a slight nod as he let Yusei's hand slip away.

The two men turned to face the door and Judai brought Yubel's power to bear once more, his eyes glowing in the dark elevator. Two floors later and it opened to reveal the building's roof. A momentum generator stood at its center, spinning and glowing white with energy. And there Celoso stood, his back to them, clad in the same white robes that Judai remembered. By his side stood his duel spirit, Zombyra the Dark, clad in the dark armor and red cape seen on his card.

“I knew you would follow me, Mr. Yuki,” Celoso said as he turned to face them, “But I had hoped you wouldn't.”

For the most part he looked the same as Judai remembered – black hair, dark skin, a look of unwavering conviction on his face – he even lacked the cybernetics of his followers. But his eyes were different. There was no longer any difference between the whites of his eyes, his irises, or his pupils. His entire right eye glowed a bright blue and his entire left eye glowed a bright red. The skin around his eyes was cracked, and it almost seemed like a black void lay beneath them.

“And Mr. Fudo as well,” Celoso said with a polite bow, “It is an honor. Not only did you save my life when you repaired Judai's mind, but you also defeated those three upstarts who ran Yliaster into the ground.”

“Enough talk.” Yusei readied his duel disk and Judai followed suit. The last thing you want to do with cult leaders is let them talk.

_If you intend to harm my master_ , Zombyra's voice was deep and foreboding, _I will show you no mercy_. And with that, the spirit disappeared into Celoso's deck.

“We need not be adversaries,” Celoso claimed even as he activated his own duel disk. “We all want the same thing: to keep the world safe.”

“If that's true,” Judai couldn't help but call him out, his voice calm with righteous anger, “Then why are you destroying it?”

“Am I? No, I am not.” He spread his arms wide. “This is not our world, Mr. Yuki. And I did not intend to attack here; the intervention of Tokyo's police forced us to jump between dimensions before we were ready.” He dropped back into a dueling stance and drew his opening hand, his life points beginning at 8000 to counterbalance their combined life points. “This army of androids was intended to conquer the Barian and Astral worlds. They are at war, you see, and it is only a matter of time before they bring that war to our world.”

“And how exactly will that save the world?”

“Simple, I will distribute the powerful XYZ monsters that they command among the duelists of the Earth. I had hoped that merely creating XYZ monsters from the dueling power of humans would be enough, but if a so-called Platinum duelist like Piranha Sid creates a beast that weak, it won't be enough. I want every duelist on Earth given monsters with power to rival that of the gods.”

Judai's eyes widened. “You're insane! The God cards nearly destroyed the world when they fell into the wrong hands. If you start giving every duelist on the street that much power, how long will it be before that power goes out of control?”

“You think too small, Mr. Yuki,” came Celoso's retort. “Sure, there may be some initial fighting, but humanity will bring itself to a new equilibrium soon enough. And when that happens, we will no longer require heroes such as yourself to save us.”

That last gave Judai pause. “What do you mean,” he asked, his voice calmer, more in control.

“The God Cards, the Three Phantasms, the Society of Light, the Earthbound Immortals – all these threats were stopped because a select few powerful duelists just happened to be in the right place at the right time. What if no hero arises to combat the next threat? Or what if the next hero falls? Humanity can't keep relying on such a small number of duelists to protect it from the duel spirits who wish it harm.

“Once you and your friends are defeated, we shall use the duel energy we've collected here to rebuild our army, invade the Barian and Astral worlds, and distribute their power among humanity. Then every duelist will have the strength to defend our people! We won't need to keep relying on miracles!” His face twisted in determination, and his eyes glowed brighter. “I draw! I summon Zombyra the Dark in attack position!” The red-caped monster appeared on the field, its ATK at a strong 2100. “I set one card face down, and pay 2000 life points to activate the field spell Forbidden Zone!” But he didn't play it on his duel disk.

Celoso tossed the field spell behind him, right into the momentum generator. Judai's chest tightened and his hair stood on end as a green wave of killing intent passed over the field. No, not just the field. The entire building. The entire grassland. What was it aiming at? Not him, that much he could tell. Not Yusei, not their friends, but something close to them. Something close to their hearts. Judai felt his face go pale.

“Yusei!” he turned to his boyfriend in panic. “Your deck! Check your extra deck right now!” Yusei looked shaken by the wave and confused by Judai's words, but he complied. And then his face went pale too.

“Judai,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper. “My cards...” His voice trailed off as he presented Stardust Dragon. The color had been drained from it, and the stars representing the monster level had disappeared.

“Forbidden Zone,” Celoso explained, “is a card I created using Meklord technology. Its effect in the game is rather mundane – it simply destroys any Synchro monsters on the field, and reduces the level of all Synchro monsters in your extra deck and graveyard to zero, preventing them from being summoned.” His face remained hard and cold throughout the monologue. “But in this world, combined with momentum's power, its effect takes on a very real consequence. By the time my third turn comes to a close, the change to your monsters will become permanent. I've placed the entire battleground our forces are fighting on within this field. Do you understand what that means?”

If they let Celoso get to his third turn, neither Yusei nor the rest of Team 5D's would be able to Synchro Summon again.


	22. El Amanecer

Yusei could stop trembling. He couldn't tell if it was from fear, anger, or both, but he couldn't stop. He could hear them, his monsters. He could hear their screams, their pain. He could feel his friends' fear. They had just been told the same thing he had. Yusei didn't know how he knew that; he just did. Two turns. That's all the time he and Judai had to beat Celoso, or his monsters were gone forever.

Celoso still hadn't ended his first turn. “I play the continuous spell Prohibition! As long as this card remains on the field, the card name I declare when activating it can't be played. I declare Super Polymerization!”

Yusei heard Judai gasp. Super Polymerization was what beat Celoso the last time; their enemy had clearly come prepared for a rematch. Even if Super Polymerization couldn't be countered, that didn't matter if Judai wasn't allowed to play it in the first place. With that move, Celoso ended his turn.

“I draw!” Anger. Yusei decided it was anger that was causing his trembling. His hand would have been strong if he still had access to his Synchro monsters. Without them, however, all he could do was play defensive. “I summon Sonic Chick in defense mode! My turn's over.”

Judai began his turn. At least his deck wasn't nearly as crippled as Yusei's was. “I activate Polymerization! I send Saprkman and Clayman in my hand to the graveyard to summon Elemental Hero Thunder Giant!” The gold and white giant took the field, lightning surging around his fingertips. “Thunder Giant's effect! By discarding one card, I can destroy one monster on the field whose original ATK is less than his!” Thunder Giant raised his hand over Zombyra, and Celoso's monster was eradicated. “I set one card face down and end my turn.”

Celoso would get the first attack of the duel, but he was faced with a monster who couldn't be destroyed in battle with strong monsters and another monster who would destroy any weaker monsters he summoned. Yusei felt himself smile despite the tension in his back. They could do this!

“I draw.” Celoso remained calm. “I activate a second Prohibition!” Yusei's smile dropped. “From this moment forward, Elemental Hero Neos cannot be played!” Yusei's chest tightened, and he tried to swallow the lump in his throat; he could feel Judai's panic. Celoso's calm and measured words didn't help. “Your deck is very powerful, Mr. Yuki. But with your ace sealed, the Neo Spacian cards and their support lose nearly all their strength. Half of your deck is now useless for anything besides cannon fodder.

“I activate Monster Reborn to revive Zombyra!” The dark hero reappeared on Celoso's field. “And to join him, I summon Dark Blade!” A dark-armored knight with twin swords took the field. Two level four monsters. Yusei had seen this set up before. In Judai's memories. “I overlay the souls of my servants! Bring forth a new power! XYZ Summon! Come forth: Guerrero del Espirito!” The purple-and-black knight took the field, as tall as Jack's Red Dragon Archfiend. The souls of its materials orbited it like electrons in an atom. Its eyes, a mirror image of Celoso's, glared at them with the strength of 2700 ATK. “Battle! Destroy Thunder Giant!” The dark knight raised its blade and carved through Judai's monster. Thunder Giant exploded and Judai flinched as their combined life points dropped by 300.

Yusei had seen this monster in Judai's memories. Its quick effect allowed it to detach one of its XYZ materials to prevent itself from being affected by other cards for an entire turn. Its biggest weakness was monsters with more attack points, but without Synchro monsters, Yusei didn't have any monsters strong enough to destroy it.

“Reverse card open! Hero Signal!” A bright circular light with an H in the middle shone from Judai's trap card. “When an Elemental Hero on my field is destroyed, I can special summon a lvl. 4 or lower Elemental Hero monster from my deck! Come out: Bubbleman!” A blue-and-white hero with water hoses fixed to his arms like guns appeared in defense position on Judai's field. “Bubbleman's effect! When he's summoned, if he's the only card on my field, I draw two cards!” Judai flashed Yusei a grin when he looked at his new hand. Yusei smiled back. If there was anyone he could count on to save his monsters, it was Judai.

Celoso seemed only mildly perturbed as he said, “I set one card end my turn.”

Yusei drew. Scrap Iron Scarecrow. Under normal circumstances, this would be a good draw. But the screams of Yusei's Synchro monsters had grown quieter and more pained. They had to win before Celoso ended his next turn! Or at least, they had to destroy his field spell. And a stalling card like this wouldn't do them any good. He'd just have to fortify their defenses and place all his faith in his boyfriend. He wasn't sure if it was his monsters screaming, or the anxiety he felt from his friends, but Yusei felt less confident about that than he knew he should. He set Scrap Iron Scarecrow and summoned Shield Warrior in defense position.

“I draw!” Judai called. “I activate Skyscraper from my hand!” Perfect! Another field spell would destroy Celoso's! Yusei felt his face lift and his chest lighten. His monsters were safe!

Except something was wrong. Even though a vast cityscape surrounded their dueling field, Momentum was still visible, and it was still sending out those green waves of killing intent. Yusei's monsters were still screaming. What happened?

Celoso looked at the surrounding buildings with only mild interest. “An excellent move, Mr. Yuki.” Somehow, he managed to keep the gloating out of his voice. That only made Yusei angrier. “Unfortunately, Forbidden Zone remains on the field even if my opponent plays a field spell of their own. I'm afraid you'll have to destroy it another way if you wish to save your lover's monsters.”

Judai snarled at their enemy. “I activate Pot of Greed!” he yelled, drawing two cards from his deck, increasing his hand size to four. Yusei prayed that they'd be enough. “I summon Elemental Hero Avian in attack position!” The green-and-feathered hero flew onto Judai's field with a battle cry, unwavering in the face of Celoso's monster. “And now I activate Miracle Fusion! I banish the Avian on my field and the Burstinatrix in my graveyard to perform a fusion summon! Come out: my favorite card! Elemental Hero Flame Wingman!”

Yusei would be lying if he said it didn't seem amazing. Judai's unwavering fierceness, his iconic monster standing atop Skyscraper's tallest building, it was all inspiring. Judai had one last plan to win. It had to work.

“Flame Wingman, attack Guerrero del Espirito! Skyscraper shoot!” Skyscraper's effect raised Flame Wingman's ATK to 3100, and Judai's monster enveloped itself in flames as it soared towards Celoso's monster. “And I activate the quick-play spell: Battle Fusion! When a fusion monster I control battles, its ATK is doubled!” 6100 ATK! Combine that with Flame Wingman's effect, and this attack would end everything!

“Reverse card open!” Yusei's heart dropped again. Why? Why couldn't this enemy just go down? “Spell Booster! By paying half my life points, I can activate a spell card in my hand during the damage step! Rank-Up Magic – Soul Force!” This was the card Judai had stopped him from using last time. Yusei's heart sank even further. “I evolve my Rank 4 Guerrero del Espirito!” Another overlay network appeared, and Celoso's monster disappeared into it. “The countless souls of the earth cheer as their ruler descends! Come forth: El Rey de los Espiritos!”

From the overlay network rose a monster even bigger than the previous one. It shared the purple-and-black color scheme of Guerrero, but had traded the over-sized sword for a crown and cape. Three monsters' souls orbited this one, and it looked over the field with a gaze that screamed superiority, despite the ATK/DEF of 0 it held.

“El Rey can't be destroyed by card effects, and during my opponent's battle phase, all attack position monsters they control must battle El Rey!” Celoso declared, and Flame Wingman resumed its attack. “El Rey's effect activates! By removing an overlay unit, the monster it battles is destroyed, and I deal 300 damage to you equal to its level! King's Judgment!”

One of the orbiting souls flew into El Rey's crown, and the monster held out its right hand the universal sign for “stop.” Flame Wingman crashed into it, exploded, and both men screamed as they took 1800 points of damage.

“I'm sorry Yusei.” Judai was winded, and his eyes couldn't meet Yusei's. Yusei's heart was lost. Was this really it? Was this the end of the bond between him and his monsters? Why? Why did Yliaster have to come back? Why did they have to do this?

“I draw.” Celoso's turn began. Yusei could barely hear his monsters anymore. Damn him. Damn him! “I summon enraged Battle Ox in attack position!” An armored, anthropomorphic ox with 1700 ATK took to Celoso's field. “And now I play Double Summon! It allows me to normal summon a second time this turn! I call upon Phantom Gryphon!” The aptly named monster took to Celoso's field with 2000 ATK. “Enraged Battle Ox's effect means that any Beast, Beast-Warrior or Winged-Beast monster deals piercing damage to defense position monsters! I attack Bubbleman with El Rey! And his effect activates!”

“Reverse card open!” Yusei screamed. Even if he couldn't save his monsters, he'd be damned if he let Celoso lay a hand on Judai's “Scrap Iron Scarecrow! It negates one of your monster's attacks, and then I set it on my field!” El Rey's attack stopped mid-stride, and it returned to its passive stance with only one overlay unit remaining. Celoso turned to face Yusei. He looked like a hunter examining a sloppy kill.

“You still have some fight in you, I see. Perhaps I should rid myself of your nuisance. Enraged Battle Ox attacks Sonic Chick!” The ox brought its axe down on Yusei's monster. Sonic Chick was destroyed, as were 1400 of their life points. “Now Phantom Gryphon destroys Shield Warrior!” The griffon sank its talons in Yusei's monster, and another 400 life points were lost. That blast of the attack threw Yusei's back to the ground, and the duelist let out a cry of pain. “I end my turn.”

It was over. Yusei couldn't hear his monsters anymore. All he could feel was the growing anguish of his friends. It was his turn, but what good was he anymore? A true duelist would never allow the bonds with his cards to be broken like this, let alone those of his friends. Really, was there even a reason for him to do anything but lay here and look at the sky? The sun was setting, and the stars looked so beautiful. Especially the red one. In fact, that seemed to be getting brighter by the second.

“Yusei!” Judai called out to him. He managed to turn his head enough to meet Judai's eyes. They'd reverted back to brown. “Don't give up Yusei! This is a world where miracles can happen! Especially for a duelist as powerful as you!”

“Judai,” Yusei managed to choke out. When had he started crying? “I can't. I'm not a signer anymore. I don't have any special powers.”

“I don't believe that for a second!” Judai looked worried. Or was it desperate? It was hard to tell through the tears. “A duelist's bond with their monsters can't be broken this easily! The only thing Celoso's done is change the format! You just have to evolve! Your monsters too! If the Crimson Dragon was really gone, would have left its signer dragons with you? You just have to believe Yusei! Believe your cards!”

Yusei's eyes drifted back to the sky. The red star was so bright now. So bright, and so warm. Warm? Yes, his back was warm. His back was warm! Yusei blinked away the tears. That star. It had to be the dragon star! The same one that brought the Crimson Dragon to the first signers millennia ago! That warmth on his back – Yusei knew exactly what that was. Judai was right! This wasn't over! His monsters weren't finished yet! Yusei rose to his feet. A red aura was surrounding him now, and he could hear Stardust's voice. _Summon me!_ it called to him. _I will take my vengeance!_

“What is this?” Celoso cried. It was hard to tell with his glowing and cracked eyes, but Yusei was pretty sure their enemy was afraid. He didn't blame him. “You should be powerless! Your monsters can't help you anymore!”

“Is that so?” Yusei said. “I draw! I summon Junk Synchron in attack position! Its effect lets me special summon a lvl 2 or lower monster from my graveyard! Come back, Sonic Chick!” The two monsters took their position on Yusei's field. “I equip Junk Synchron with Synchro Boost! This raises his ATK by 500 and his lvl by 1! Now I activate Harmonic Waves, which raises Sonic Chick's lvl to 4!” He and Judai shared a field, and now both his monsters had the same level as Bubbleman.

“No!” Celoso had figured it out! “You can't!”

“We'll see about that! I overlay the souls of the lvl 4 Junk Synchron, Sonic Chick, and Elemental Hero Bubbleman!” An overlay network appeared on Yusei's field, and the souls of the three monsters disappeared into it. “Gathered Wishes shine as bright as the stars! The path their light shines upon is eternal! XYZ Summon! Stardust Soul Dragon!”

Stardust burst from the overlay network with a battle cry to shake the heavens. It looked different, more ethereal, and three monsters used for its summon orbited it as overlay units. But it was Stardust, there was no doubt about that. As the overlay network faded and his old friend took a spot on Yusei's field, he felt that warmth leaving his back. And he smiled.

After all, it wasn't like he was the only signer here.

***

The duel hadn't been going well ever since that green wave hit. Jack had felt his connection to Red Dragon Archfiend grow weaker and weaker as the duel progressed, and his Synchro monsters were completely sealed. It wasn't long before he found himself relying on Multiple Piece Golem's effect and Edo's Destiny Heroes to keep them alive. Humiliating.

But that was before a familiar burning found its way to his back.

“I draw!” He called out. “I tribute Medium Piece Golem to summon Vice Dragon!” The green-accented purple dragon took its spot on the field alongside Big Piece Golem and Destiny Hero Dangerous. “I overlay the souls of my two lvl 5 monsters!” He just knew what to do. It was instinct. “The king's heartbeat will never cease! Tremble at its creation-shattering might! My Immortal Soul! Red Soul Dragon Archfiend!”

Here it was, his soul refined to its purist form. The battle cry it let loose shook the very building they stood in. And its effect was incredible. All Jack needed to do was detach an overlay unit and any monster the turn player didn't attack with that turn would be destroyed. It was a monster with no patience for the weak.

Jack looked across at his opponent. She hadn't said a word all duel, and still didn't. But her eyes told him everything he needed to know. She was terrified.

***

Asuka had never seen anything like this. First her students learned that their Synchro monsters couldn't be used in this odd green field. Next, Luka starts panicking and begging her Ancient Fairy Dragon “not to go,” tears streaming like waterfalls down her face. They all put in their best effort, but against the revival ability of their opponent's XYZ monster, even her Cyber Angels had fallen.

That's when the miracle happened. Their opponent had just destroyed Cyber Angel Benten and ended her turn, taunting them with that annoying laugh of hers. Then Aki started glowing, and a red dragon appeared on her back.

“Yusei,” she whispered, before showing them her determined face once more. “I draw! Come forth, Black Rose Witch!” The gothic lolita tuner monster popped onto Aki's field, alongside her Blue Rose Dragon. “I overlay the souls of my two lvl 4 monsters! Cold flames envelope eternity! The black flower blooms forever! XYZ Summon! Black Rose Soul Dragon!” An ethereal version of Aki's dragon appeared on the field, and Aki wasted no time in using it. “When Black Rose Soul Dragon is summoned, I can detach both of her overlay units to destroy both her and all monsters you control! Black Rose Whirlwind!” The two orbs orbiting the dragon were swallowed whole, and thorns spread out over their opponent's field, crushing everything in their grasp. Aki's dragon faded away when her effect resolved, and the red glow disappeared with it.

“Fool!” their opponent screeched, even with Karen and Pharaoh growling at her. “Haven't you learned yet? Whenever Death Witch Omega is destroyed while she has an overlay unit, I can special summon her in two standby phases with one less overlay unit attached, and deal you 2000 points of damage for every monster I control! You'll be finished!”

She was right. Her burn deck had whittled away their initially impressive 16000 life points down to a mere 1900. If their opponent hadn't had just as immense a starting life point total, or if her students had been able to use their best cards in the first place, the duel would have been looking very different. But as it stood, they'd need Lua to pull out an equally impressive miracle if they were going to win.

He did. When his turn came, he began glowing just as brightly, and that same dragon symbol appeared on his back. “I overlay the souls of my two lvl 3 Morphtronic Magnens!” He cried out with a child's enthusiasm, and a huge smile plastered across his face. “The Revolution of Courage will always protect the world! XYZ Summon! Life Stream Soul Dragon!” Another ethereal dragon took the field; it was tan and had a blade attached to its left arm. “Once per turn, I can detach an overlay unit to swap our life points!” Lua had the cockiest grin on his face when he said it.

“What!?” It seemed like their opponent had finally been knocked off her high horse. Her 4300 life points became theirs, and their 1900 life points became hers. “H-how dare you!”

“My turn!” Luka called. Now she was glowing too.

“Death Witch Omega revives!” their opponent screeched. The skull-faced sorceress reappeared on her field, but with no overlay units left. Death Witch only had an ATK/DEF of 2800/3300; it was too weak to destroy Lua's Dragon, so she had summoned it in defense mode. “Grave's Gift!” Their life points dropped to 2300.

Luka wasn't taking it lying down, however. “I overlay my lvl 4 Regulus and my lvl 4 Sunlight Unicorn's souls! The holy light of protection shines forever upon eternal life! XYZ Summon! Ancient Fairy Soul Dragon! Her effect lets me remove an overlay unit to destroy one field spell on your field and deal you 500 points of damage!”

“Stupid brat! I haven't played a field spell!”

“No, but this wicked green field is affecting us! So it’s in range of Ancient Fairy's effect!” And with that the green waves of killing intent that had filled their field vanished in a flash of sunlight, and their opponent's life points fell to 1400. “That's for trying to take our monsters away from us!” The light faded from Luka.

“Stupid brat!” Somehow their opponent screeched even louder than before. Asuka actually had to cover her ears. “How dare you destroy master Celoso's trump card! I draw! I set a monster and end my turn!”

Their opponent was out of options. Her hand was empty, and she couldn't revive her Death Witch anymore. But they still had to destroy her defenses if they wanted to finish her off. Asuka drew her card and hoped for her own miracle. Polymerization. And she had Cyber Blader and Etoile Cyber in her hand. And her opponent had two monsters on the field.

Asuka smiled. It was about time she showed her students the pride of a true prima donna.

***

When those green waves of killing intent had destroyed his Black-Winged Dragon, Crow had started to worry. When he realized he couldn't Synchro Summon anymore, he started to panic. Then he nearly got taken out by one of the androids before Rainbow Dragon saved his ass. At that point, he was angry. He shouldn't need these old guys (even if they didn't look that old) to save him damn it! Then those green waves vanished, and he felt the mark of the Crimson Dragon burning on his back. He knew what to do.

“I summon Blackwing – Breeze the Zephyr!” he yelled at the androids that were trying to take him out. “And since I only have the one Blackwing on my field, I can special summon Blacking – Gladius the Midnight Sun! And now I'll special summon Blackwing – Gale the Whirlwind!” Birds of a feather really do flock together. “Now I overlay my lvl 3 Blackwings! Undying Storm, soar unto unending heights with wishes on your wings! XYZ Summon! Black-Winged Soul Dragon!” He was back in the game, and with his new monster's ability to reflect damage back at his opponent, he wasn't going to let anyone show him up.

***

Misawa's Chemicritter Dioxogre destroyed the last monster protecting the foolish cultist in front of them. He had been woefully unprepared for duelists who had never so much as touched a Synchro monster before, and Daitokuji's Elemental Absorber had quickly locked down his ability to attack them. Combine that with Tania's amazon ferocity and Misawa's strategic thinking, and their opponent was down to an empty field, an empty hand, and 200 life points while they were still sitting on 10000 with fields full of monsters.

“It seems you failed the most important part of warfare, my friend,” Misawa taunted.

“Always know your enemy,” added Tania. “Never underestimate them.”

“As a professor, I suppose it's my job to hammer this lesson into you,” Daitokuji finished. “Draw! Golden Homunculus! Finish him!” The gold giant behind Daitokuji complied, sending shards of gold flying at their adversary, who took his defeat screaming at the top of his lungs. As their monsters faded from the field, their adversary fell to the ground in spasms and gasps for breath, landing face-first and making no signs of getting up. At the same time, Daitokuji heard the very loud sound of a few dozen androids blowing up all at once.

“It seems you were right Misawa-kun. Defeating them did in fact shut down their army.”

Misawa was already checking on their fallen opponent; he checked his heartbeat, then the cybernetics covering his body under those robes of his. “The loss of the duel short-circuited these electronics,” Misawa said in a morbid tone. “Since they were wired into his brain and nervous system, it killed him.”

Daitokuji just shrugged. Really, being dead wasn't all that bad.

***

Yusei really was amazing. That's what Judai thought as he stared at the beautiful dragon hovering above his boyfriend. He could feel the power it held; it was even stronger now than when Paradox tried to kill him with it, strong enough that his eyes turned to Yubel's just by being near it. And Yusei wasn't the only amazing member of his team.

 _That girl Luka destroyed Celoso's field spell._ Yubel's thoughts echoed in his head. _She has more power than she lets on._ Judai thought it was more likely that she had more power than she gave herself credit for. Maybe he should help Johan convince her to transfer to his school; it would be good for her to have a teacher who understood her. But those were thoughts for another time; there was a duel to win.

“Attack, Stardust Soul Dragon!” Yusei glowed even without that red aura. “Shooting Sonic.”

“Idioso!” Celoso called out with a swipe of his arm. “Attacking with an XYZ monster may stop you from taking damage, but El Rey's effect will still destroy it!” The dark king raised his hand as its final overlay unit disappeared into its crown.

But Yusei was ready. “Stardust Soul Dragon's effect! By removing an overlay unit, it negates a card effect that would destroy another card on the field, and banishes that card! Since I'm not destroying it, El Rey's protection effect doesn't apply!” An overlay unit disappeared into Stardust's chest as Celoso shouted his disbelief. Silver light shown from Stardust's wings, blinding the entire field. When the light faded, El Rey was gone. And since the battle had been interrupted... “Stardust Soul Dragon, destroy Phantom Gryphon!”

The dragon reared back its head and unleashed a stream of brilliant stardust from its mouth, a stream with enveloped Celoso's monster, destroyed it, and dropped their enemy's life points from 3000 down to 2500. With all that accomplished, Yusei ended his turn.

Celoso was gasping for breath after that attack. “During the end phase of the turn El Rey de los Espiritos is destroyed,” he panted, “I can special summon Guerrero del Espirito from my graveyard, attaching all monsters I control to it as overlay units!” Like the dead rising from hell, the dark knight's sword arm burst from the ground behind Celoso, digging the blade into the duel field as it pulled itself back from the dead. Enraged Battle Ox transformed into a glowing orb and began orbiting Celoso's ace as it brought itself to its feet. “On my next turn, he'll destroy that dragon of yours, and your final hope will be lost!”

Yusei didn't seem phased. “We'll see about that,” he said. He turned to Judai with that determined look on his face, the one that could move heaven and earth if it so chose. And despite Hero Mask being the only card in his hand, Judai felt his chest lift, and his heart take flight. It was time for _his_ miracle.

He turned back to face their enemy with as immovable a look as he could muster. He closed his heterochromatic eyes and brought his right hand to hover over his deck. Both Super Polymerization and Neos were sealed. None of his low-level monsters with strong enough to beat Guerrero, even with Skyscraper's effect. His next card had to be something brand new, something that hadn't been in his deck when the duel started.

 _Momentum._ Yubel was right. Freed from the corruption of Celoso's field spell, the generator behind him was putting out waves of pure duel energy; it was enough to move an army across planes of reality. Judai just needed a little – just enough to make contact with something beyond the spirits he knew, something that could help them. Something that could save them. His powers as open as he could make them, he lowered his hand to his deck.

 _I hear you!_ An alien voice called out as his fingers touched the card. Glowing gold, Judai's eyes snapped open, and he drew with all the conviction his twin soul could bring to bear. And it was just the card he needed.

 _A shame that it's a quick-play spell._ If anyone was going to point out the one dark cloud in an otherwise clear-and-sunny sky, it was Yubel. This was more than enough. But before he could play it...

“I activate the spell card Hero Mask! By sending Elemental Hero Neos from my deck to the graveyard, I can treat one monster on the field as if it were Neos!” A transparent Neos rose from Judai's deck, flew up, and faded into Yusei's dragon. Any Elemental Hero would have worked, but Neos just seemed right.

“Impossible!” Celoso was not happy. “Prohibition prevents you from playing him!”

“Normally you'd be right, but Prohibition has one weakness! It can't affect cards already on the field!” Judai could see the veins popping out on Celoso's face. “And I'm not done yet! I activate my quick-play spell: Mask Change!” As the spell card appeared on the field, Stardust began glowing with a green aura. “By sending one Hero monster on my field to the graveyard, I can fusion summon one Masked Hero with the same attribute!”

“A fusion summon with only one material?” Yusei asked no one as he stared at his dragon in awe.

“Appear! Masked Hero Divine Wind!” The green aura shone so bright that Stardust became lost in it, and when it faded, a green hero with a white cape that looked like he'd walked right out of a Super Sentai series hovered in the dragon's place.

“ _Villain!_ ” The spirit called out while sticking an accusing finger at Celoso. “ _As the Supreme King has called me here, so have I come to root out your evil and see justice done!_ ” Celoso just glared at the spirit.

“Battle!” Judai called while thrusting his fist forward. “Divine Wind attacks Guerrero del Espirito!” The green hero dove at Celoso's monster, striking it with an open palm. The explosion engulfed them both, but when the dust settled, Judai's new hero stood tall, proud, and alone.

“HOW!?” Was it Judai's imagination, or were the cracks around Celoso's eyes getting bigger? “That should have been a suicide run!”

Judai couldn't help the smirk. “Divine Wind can't be destroyed in battle, and whenever he destroys a monster, I can draw one card.” Again, Judai placed his fingers on his deck. He'd already produced a miracle, but if he could just draw _that_ card, he could end it now. Again he closed his eyes, put his faith in his deck, and drew.

His faith was rewarded.

“I activate the quick-play spell: De-Fusion!” Divine Wind may have only used one monster as fusion material, but he was still a fusion summon. “I return Divine Wind to my extra deck, and special summon Stardust Soul Dragon, who was used to fusion summon him!” Just as Stardust had done before, Divine Wind became enveloped in a blinding green light. When it faded, Yusei's dragon stood in his place.

“Yusei!” Judai brought his biggest grin to bear as he called to his boyfriend. “Let's finish this together!”

Yusei seemed caught off guard for a second, but then he too grinned with everything he had and gave his head a firm nod. “Go,” They called out in unison, “Stardust Soul Dragon Attack!” They both thrust their arms out in identical poses. “Shooting Sonic!” Stardust Soul Dragon had 2500 ATK, exactly the same as Celoso's remaining life points.

The ethereal dragon reared its head back, then unleashed a brilliant stream of white stardust straight at Celoso. Their enemy challenged the attack with nothing but a scream of defeat. The attack struck him dead-on; Celoso fell to his knees as his life points dropped to 0. Both Stardust Soul Dragon and the Skyscraper field faded away; Judai and Yusei once again found themselves on a roof bare of anything besides themselves and the still running momentum generator.

“N-no.” Celoso was struggling to gather his words. “It – it wasn't … supposed to-”

The man unleashed an eardrum-killing scream as the cracks around his eyes split wide open; they were consuming him. The lights from his eyes began shining brighter and brighter, fighting with one another for space in their field of vision.

“ _Master!_ ” Zombyra appeared in front of Celoso and threw his arms around the man. But it was too late. With another scream, the lights grew too bright for Judai to see anything in front of him; he could barely make out Yusei to his right. Neither light conquering the other, they both shot upwards into the twilight sky, brilliant pillars of red and blue for a split second before they became less than a twinkle in the darkening void above. Neither Celoso nor his spirit partner were anywhere to be seen.

“What just happened?” Yusei asked as he rose from the knee the light show had forced him to take.

“Celoso said he took the power of the XYZ from two warring worlds,” Judai was talking as much to himself as to Yusei. “He was trying to keep both powers inside of him, but they're fundamentally incompatible. Losing to us destroyed the inner strength he was using to keep them at bay.”

“Like matter and antimatter,” Yusei took the conclusion in a more scientific route, but Judai understood enough to agree with him. “They destroyed each other, and the explosion took out their vessel.”

Judai silently agreed as he walked over to where the man had been standing. Most would feel like it was morbid, standing where a man had just exploded moments ago, but Judai had walked far worse battlegrounds in his life. He spared Celoso's final resting place a glance before turning his attention back to the momentum generator. “Thank God this is still running.”

“Why?” Yusei asked as he joined him. “Though I'm not complaining. This thing isn't protected like Fortune; a second Zero Reverse could have happened if the explosion hadn't been directed upwards.”

“Without this, it'd be weeks before I could move a group as big as ours back to the real world. With this,” he gave the generator a light tap with his knuckles; it almost burned him, “I can move us all back in an hour or two.” He needed the time to rest; that duel had taken a lot out of him.

“Well, until then, I say we enjoy ourselves.” Judai turned to ask what he meant, and felt his lips blessed with a victory kiss. He leaned into it with a content sigh, and pulled the taller man into a hug. They parted after ten seconds, and Yusei looked towards the sky. “The stars really are beautiful here.”

Judai decided he'd rather nuzzle his head in the crook of Yusei's neck. They stood there, Judai breathing in his boyfriend's scent as the taller man watched the red star travel beyond the horizon. It wouldn't take much for either of them to let an hour pass like this.

Unfortunately, they only got to three minutes before the rest of their group came running onto the roof. Ed, Tania, Jack, Manjoume, Misawa, O'Brien, Karen, and Pharaoh just took in the scene; Shou, Asuka, Fubuki, Aki, and Luka ran up asking if they were all right; Lua was bragging about the new dragon he had summoned; Johan, Kenzan, Crow, Daitokuji, and Jim were congratulating them on their victory.

Yusei turned to greet them all. Judai dropped onto his back and looked up at the stars. Yusei was right; they were beautiful.

An hour later saw everyone but Misawa and Tania driving onto Daedalus Bridge in a flash of white. One by one they peeled off, everyone headed to their respective homes or hotels; they'd save the victory party for tomorrow. Judai couldn't bring himself to do more than focus on the road's lines and the rear of Yusei's bike; he was too drained to remember the way home himself.

Yusei's apartment really was home now, wasn't it?

He was too tired to ponder that any further. Even Yubel was tired. He barely managed to fall on the couch before the sweet darkness of sleep overtook him. It had been a _really_ long day.


	23. Epilogue

As usual, dawn pulled Judai from sleep's embrace, and in waking he pulled Yusei from it as well. The two men rose from their shared bed, moving through their morning routine with smiles of anticipation on their face. Today was a very important day, after all.

“You're certainly excited,” Yusei said over a bowl of cereal. “You don't usually smile like that until after you've finished breakfast.”

Judai nearly forgot to swallow before responding. “Of course I'm excited! It's been twenty-five years since we did this!” Judai returned to wolfing down his cereal. Yusei was only about halfway through his when Judai lifted the bowl to down the remaining milk. The red-clad man bounced over to Yusei's side of the table and moved his face closer than Yusei would have allowed anyone else. “I hope you're jealous,” he teased.

“Why would I be jealous?” Yusei turned to steal a quick peck from his boyfriend's lips. Even if it only lasted a few seconds, Judai was always cute when flustered. “I was your first after all.”

One week. That's how long it had been since they defeated Celoso. Yusei and Judai had spent the rest of the weekend on a mini-vacation, one that ended with Yusei and Judai facing off in the latter's first-ever riding duel. They didn't count the battle royal against Celoso's androids. Judai's Neos deck clashed against Yusei's new XYZ-powered deck; Neos and Stardust Soul Dragon took each other out more than once; Judai used Nebula Neos to wipe the field; Yusei was able to XYZ summon his new Greater Junk Warrior at the perfect time to deal a finishing blow.

Once Yusei had finished his own meal, the two duelists suited up and rode out to the same spot Jack and Yusei had their final duel a year ago. Yusei maneuvered his D-Wheel to join their combined group of friends while Judai rode his to stop alongside Manjoume.

“I told you two weeks,” Judai's old rival said with a glare. “It's been seventeen days. I know you're a slacker, but you could at least _try_ to act like you care.”

Judai's face-wide grin never left his face. “C'mon Thunder, a lot happened. Besides, Yusei and I _really_ wanted to test out our new decks.”

Manjoume snorted and finally deigned to look his rival in the eye. “I heard you lost. You must have lost your edge after dozing off for twenty years.”

Judai just gave a fun shrug in response. “Maybe so. Or maybe my deck still needs a few adjustments.”

“You better not try to make excuses like that when I beat you.”

Judai waved his hand in front of his face. “Of course not. I wouldn't dream of it.” He meant it. Because he wouldn't lose. Yusei was watching after all.

Manjoume turned his attention forward again. “Good. Now let's get started.”

And so, for the first time, the latest duel in this long rivalry began with a cry of, “Riding Duel: Acceleration!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there it is: the biggest fanfic I've ever written, complete. I hope you all enjoyed it! Until my next work: stay golden.


End file.
